What is the new table tennis mixed doubles event?

The lightning speed of the balls, the constant switching from defence to attack, the incredible agility of the players — all these make table tennis a must-see at the Olympic Games.

This summer, table tennis fans can expect more excitement as the mixed doubles event debuts at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that will take place in 2021. Since the first table tennis medal will be won in mixed doubles, all teams will be going all out for a win.

KURASHIMA Yosuke, the head coach of the Japanese men’s table tennis team, was straightforward about his ambitions in an interview with Tokyo 2020, “The key lies in whether we can start off by gaining a gold medal in the mixed doubles to give the team an impetus in the remaining events.”

What's involved in the mixed doubles event?

The mixed doubles event sees teams of two players – one woman and one man – competing against each other. There will be 16 table tennis teams competing at the Tokyo 2020 Games, with one pair allowed per country.

As of 6 May 2021, nine teams have had their qualification confirmed, while seven other teams are pending NOC confirmation.

The Mixed Doubles Round of 16 will kick off at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on 24 July 2021, and the final will be on 26 July.

The history of the mixed doubles event

The mixed doubles event is not new to table tennis players and their fans.

Since 1926, it has been a constant fixture a the ITTF World Championships. As with other table tennis competitions, the event was dominated by central European countries, especially the Hungarians, until the middle of the 20th century.

However, Asian countries started to take the central stage in the 1950s. ITTF records show that Japan won the most titles in the 1960s, while the People's Republic of China have won 20 out of 55 World Championships titles in total.

Though table tennis joined the Olympic Games programmme at Seoul 1988, two attempts to have the mixed doubles added were unsuccessful. Back in 2017, when the IOC decided to debut the event at Tokyo 2020, Raul Calin, the ITTF Director of Operations and Olympic/Paralympic Games at the time, commented: “It has been long and exciting journey, but now with the inclusion, an even more exciting journey begins.”

What’s new about the event?

Unlike the singles and team event, only one pair per NOC can participate in the mixed doubles.

Back in 2019, LIU Guoliang, one of the greatest table tennis players and coaches to have come out of China, shared his thoughts on the event’s inclusion in the Olympic Games.

“The first gold in table tennis will be won in mixed doubles. The other four medals will come from team and singles events. We will have the chance to secure it in these two events, because there will be two athletes from each NOC for the singles and there will be three athletes for the team event. So the first event — mixed doubles — is the riskiest one,” said Liu.

MA Lin, a table tennis champion and coach of the Chinese women’s table tennis team, said the event would be beneficial for female athletes.

“The female athlete in mixed doubles does not only have to restrain her female counterpart on the rival team, but also needs to face the male athlete on that team,” Ma said. “So the female athlete needs to have a comprehensive view, taking her partner into consideration while restraining the opponents.”

In an interview with China Central Television, women's singles and mixed doubles world champion LIU Shiwen mentioned the different technical footwork requirements required when playing mixed doubles. “Compared with men’s doubles and women’s doubles, there will be back and forth moves, and more movements to the left or right. For me, the range of the movement is also much larger than singles or women’s doubles event.”

Teams to watch out for

So far, most of the top-ranked mixed doubles teams have secured their tickets for Tokyo 2020.

Since creating their partnership in late 2018, the Chinese duo of XU Xin and LIU Shiwen have established a formidable record in the mixed doubles field. In 2019, the pair won gold at the ITTF World Tour events in Budapest and Doha as well as the mixed doubles title at the Liebherr 2019 World Championships.

In a recent interview, Xu expressed his prospects for Tokyo 2020, “The Olympic table tennis mixed doubles event allows only one pair from each association in Tokyo. If Liu and I come out as the only pair to represent China at the Olympics, there is no room for mistakes.”

The pair’s greatest threat will probably come from the Japanese team — MIZUTANI Jun and ITO Mima, who seized gold at the 2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open. In an interview with Tokyo 2020, Kurashima, the head coach of the Japanese men’s table tennis team, expressed his high expectations for the summer.

“Both being native to Shizuoka Prefecture, they have a rapport, and Ito speaks out, even to Mizutani who is older than her. So the two are the best pair in terms of both communication and how they combine as players,” he said.

And let's not forget these formidable duos.

Among them are WONG Chun Ting and DOO Hoi Kem from Hong Kong. The two beat Xu and Liu in 2019 Korea Open, becoming the only pair who have beaten the duo since the event entered the ITTF World Tour in 2018. Last February, the pair won the titles at 2020 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open.

Chinese Taipei duo LIN Yun-Ju and CHENG I-Ching are also the ones to watch out in Tokyo. In 2019, the pair won two golds at the Seamaster 2019 China Open and Seamaster 2019 Hong Kong Open.

Apart from Asian players, 2019 World Championships bronze medallists and that year’s European Games champion Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Solja will be another pair aiming for a podium finish.