How to qualify for table tennis at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

Table tennis made its Olympic debut at Seoul 1988 with a total of four medal events across men’s and women’s singles and doubles.

At Beijing 2008, a major change was implemented with team events replacing doubles. The programme remained the same until Tokyo 2020 when the new mixed doubles event was introduced.

All five medal events from Tokyo 2020 will once again feature at Paris 2024. But before that, NOCs and athletes need to secure their spots for the Paris Games.

Find everything you need to know about the Paris 2024 table tennis qualification system below.

How many athletes will compete in table tennis at Paris 2024?

A total of 172 athletes (86 per gender) will participate in the table tennis competition at Paris 2024. 164 (82 per gender) of them will qualify via Olympic quota places, while two (one per gender) of them will qualify via Universality places. France as the host country will secure six quota places (three per gender).

Each NOC can qualify a maximum of six quota places (three per gender) across all five events, while a maximum of two athletes per NOC can qualify for each of the men’s and women’s singles events.

The team events will allow each NOC to qualify a single team of three athletes per gender, while the mixed doubles event allows each NOC to qualify one team of two (one man and one woman).

The quota places are allocated to athletes by name for the singles and mixed doubles events. For the team events, the quota places are allocated to the NOC.

What is the table tennis qualification pathway to Paris 2024?

Here is how athletes can qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 table tennis competition.

Team Qualification

There are four ways for NOCs to obtain a team quota place (three athletes per NOC) :

1 - Continental qualification events - six teams

Each ITTF Continental Federation will identify an existing event to play the role of the continental Olympic qualification event.

The highest-ranked NOC in each Continental qualification event (for Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania) will be rewarded one team quota place, apart from the Continental qualification event of Pan America which will allocate two team quota places.

2 - 2024 World Teams Championships - Eight teams

The 2024 World Teams Championships will be held from 16-25 February 2024 in Busan, the Republic of Korea.

The NOCs of the eight quarter-finalists will secure a team quota place for Paris 2024.

3 - World Ranking - One team

The highest-ranked NOC (not already qualified) in the World Team Ranking published immediately after the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals (the March 2024 World Team Ranking) will earn one team quota place.

4 - Host Country - One Team

The host country France will secure one team quota place if they have not already qualified through the qualification pathway.

Mixed Doubles Qualification

There are four ways for NOCs to earn a quota place for mixed doubles:

1 - Continental qualification events - six pairs

The highest-ranked NOC in each Continental qualification event (for Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania) will be rewarded with one mixed doubles quota place, apart from the Continental qualification event of Pan America which will allocate two mixed doubles quota places.

2 - Qualification Event in March or April 2024 - four pairs

The semifinalist mixed doubles pairs at a designated Qualification Event in March or April 2024 will obtain one mixed doubles quota place.

Only eligible pairs (athletes from the same NOC) of NOCs not already qualified may enter this event, with a maximum of one pair per NOC.

3 - World Ranking - five pairs

The five highest-ranked eligible pairs (not already qualified and from an NOC different to those already qualified) in the Mixed Doubles World Ranking, as of week 19 of 2024 (Tuesday 7 May 2024), will obtain one mixed doubles quota place.

4 - Host Country - one Pair

The host country is guaranteed one mixed doubles quota place, if they have not already qualified through the qualification pathway.

*For NOCs that possess a team quota place:

If a mixed doubles quota is accepted by an NOC that has already secured a team quota place, any qualified athletes in mixed doubles shall be listed as members of the team.

For the mixed doubles pair to compete in the Olympic Games, any qualified athletes in the mixed doubles event must also be part of the team composition, provided the NOC has qualified a team.

Singles Qualification

There are four ways for NOCs to secure quotas for the singles events.

1 - Team quota place - 32 athletes (from 16 team quota places)

Each NOC with a qualified team through the Team Qualification pathway obtains two quota places for the single events.

The top two highest-ranked athletes from each NOC with a qualified team in the World Ranking of week 25 in 2024 (Tuesday 18 June 2024) will be listed as qualifiers for singles.

2 - Continental Qualification Event or Singles World Ranking - 22 athletes

As determined by each continent, 22 athletes will obtain a quota place either through a Continental Qualification event or via the Singles World Ranking.

The number of singles quota places that each Continental possesses is:

Africa: four quotas, Asia: six quotas, Europe: six quotas, Pan America: five quotas, Oceania: one quota.

3 - Singles World Ranking - up to 15 athletes

Up to 15 athletes will obtain one quota place through the Singles World Ranking of week 25 (Tuesday 18 June 2024), respecting the maximum quotas allowed per NOC and the above-mentioned Continental quotas places.

*The maximum quota will be 15, depending on the number of quotas available after the distribution of the mixed doubles quota

4 - Universality Place - one athlete

One Universality place will be allocated to an eligible NOC.

For Universality quota places, athletes must have appeared on any ITTF Ranking list from 1 July 2023 to 23 June 2024.

What is the Paris 2024 table tennis competition format and schedule?

Five medal events will be contested at Paris 2024: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s team, women’s team and mixed doubles. The knock-out format will be applied from the preliminary rounds until the finals.

The Paris 2024 table tennis competition will take place from 27 July to 10 August 2024, with the first final taking place on Tuesday 30 July.

The venue for the Paris 2024 table tennis competition is South Paris Arena #4, an exhibition and convention centre that will be a major hub at the Paris 2024 Games.

Table tennis athletes to watch on the road to Paris 2024

Athletes from People’s Republic of China have been the dominant force in the sport, winning 32 gold medals out of the possible 37 available in Olympic table tennis history. In total, they have accrued 60 medals since 1988, with 32 gold, 20 silver and eight bronze.

The men’s team, now led by MA Long (five-time Olympic gold medallist), FAN Zhendong (World No. 1) and WANG Chuqing, and the women’s team, now led by CHEN Meng (Olympic champion), SUN Yingsha (World No. 1) and WANG Manyu (World No. 3) have each won the team world championships 22 times.

Team China also took home every gold medal available at Tokyo 2020 other than the mixed doubles. They will once again be on the hunt for a clean sweep at Paris 2024.

Japan have added new, younger athletes to their current squads but the level remains high. World No. 4 Harimoto Tomokazu, who defeated China’s Wang and Fan in the semi-final of the 2022 Team World Championships, is a good example of the team’s strength. Japan also won the first Olympic mixed-doubles gold at Tokyo 2020 and ITO Mima will once again be one to watch heading towards the next Games.

Players from Europe have also been making waves in the sport. QIU Dang (Germany), Benedikt Duda (Germany), Truls Moregard (Sweden) and the Lebrun brothers (France) all have the capability to take centre stage at Paris 2024

Athletes from traditional powerhouses such as Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong China will also be aiming for the podium in Paris.

Table tennis qualification timeline for Paris 2024

• TBD: Continental Qualification Event for Teams and Mixed Doubles of Africa, Asia, Europe, Pan America, Oceania
• 16-25 February 2024: World Team Table Tennis Championships, Busan, Korea (Team Qualification Event)
• WTR immediately following WTTTC: March World Team Ranking publication and Team WR selection
• TBD in March – April 2024: Mixed Doubles World Qualification Event
• 7 May 2024: Mixed Doubles WR publication (Week 19) and Mixed Doubles WR selection
• Week 19/2024 (6 – 12 May 2024): Continental Qualification Events for Singles in all five continents
• 18 June 2024: Singles WR publication (Week 25) and Singles WR selection
• Within two days after each of the events: The ITTF confirms in writing to the NOCs the quota places obtained.
• One week after each of the events: The NOCs to confirm to ITTF the use of the allocated quota places.
• Within five days after the previous step: ITTF to reallocate all unused quota places.
• Within two days after the WR publication: The ITTF to confirm in writing to the NOCs the quota places obtained
• One week after each event: The NOCs to confirm to the ITTF the use of the allocated quota places
• Within five days after each previous step: ITTF to reallocate all unused quota places
• Date TBD: The Tripartite Commission to confirm in writing the allocation of Universality places to the NOCs (where applicable).
• 30 June 2024: ITTF to reallocate any unused quota places.
• 8 July 2024: Paris 2024 Sport Entries deadline
• 26 July – 11 August 2024: Olympic Games Paris 2024

Find out more about the qualification system for other sports that will feature at Paris 2024.