Paris 2024: history, rules, athletes... table tennis at the Olympic and Paralympic Games

If you love tennis, then chances are you also love table tennis, also known as ping-pong! An Olympic sport since 1988, this (small) racket sport is not to be missed this summer at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. An opportunity to learn more about its history, its rules and our medal chances!

There are those who prefer the French version and opt for table tennis. Then there are those who use its more popular name, ping-pong. In the end, whichever name you choose, you'll discover the same sport: table tennis, a popular discipline with young and old alike, became an Olympic sport in 1988. But to put an end to the eternal debates, you should know that the term " table tennis " is generally used to designate the sport, whereas " ping-pong " is more commonly used to designate the leisure game.

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The history of table tennis

The reigning world champions may be Chinese, but table tennis is thought to have originated in Great Britain in the late 19th century. There are several stories on the subject, but the most widespread tells of notables exchanging champagne bottle corks for balls at the end of a meal, using cigar-cellar lids (for rackets). Books were then used to replace the net.

It wasn't until 1890 that the first table tennis game was invented by Englishman David Foster, followed by the famous Jacques Gossima in 1891.

The first World Table Tennis Championship was held in London in 1926. The event brought together the federations of England, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Sweden. Hungarian Roland Jacobi became the first table tennis world champion. On the women's side, Maria Mednyanszky won the award.

Since then, table tennis has come a long way and now attracts many enthusiasts. With over 40 million licensed players worldwide, table tennis is the most popular sport on the planet!

Table tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

This summer, during the Paris Olympics, table tennis events will be held from July 27 to August 10 at theArena Paris Sud. For two weeks, spectators and viewers of the Paris Olympics will be thrilled by the various events in the discipline: 'singles' (women's/men's), 'team' (women's/men's) and 'doubles' (mixed).

As for para table tennis, it's on from Thursday August 29 to Saturday September 7, 2024, also at theArena Paris Sud.

Table tennis in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Table tennis at the Paris Olympic Games marks the 10th appearance of this sport in the history of the Olympic Games. Table tennis has been on the Olympic program since 1988. That year, the racket sport made its debut at the Seoul Summer Games.

Until 2004, table tennis was played over four events: men's singles and men's doubles, as well as women's singles and women's doubles. Since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, doubles events have been replaced by team events. At the Tokyo Games in 2020, a new mixed doubles event will be added, bringing the total number of events to five.

What about para table tennis? The sport was already on the program of the first Paralympic Games in Rome, held in 1960. Between 1960 and 1976, para table tennis was only played in wheelchairs.

Para table tennis is now played by athletes with multiple profiles. There are eleven categories of physical and intellectual disability at Paralympic competitions.

Table tennis rules at the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The aim of table tennis is simple: on a table separated in two by a net, the players, or pongists, exchange a ball using a small racket.

Singles matches are played in four winning sets, for a maximum of seven sets. To win a set, an athlete must score 11 points. The winner must have at least a two-point margin to win the match.

Another rule applies to team matches. These are played in four singles matches as well as one doubles match, " all played to the best of five sets " specifies the official Paris 2024 Olympic Games website. For these team matches, the teams are made up of three table tennis players. The game ends when a team wins three matches.

What about the doubles match? Here, two teams of two players face off. What's special? Players on the same team must take it in turns to return the ball. If this rule is broken, the point is lost.

For Para table tennis, the rules are the same as for Olympic table tennis. "The only adaptation concerns the service for players in wheelchairs: the retroactive effect is forbidden, as is the use of the short sides of the table", reads the official Paralympic Games website.

In doubles, wheelchair pong players don't have to take turns playing the ball.

Table tennis at the Olympics, the athletes

An undisputed sport in China, the Asian country is home to many table tennis champions. The country won 32 of the 37 gold medals up for grabs! Prior to this, Central European athletes from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany dominated the championship.

And in France? This year, all eyes will be on Félix and Alexis Lebrun. The two brothers could well be on the podium this summer. That's all we hope for!

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