Table tennis made a thrilling start at Paris 2024 – its 10th Olympic Games. The iconic South Paris Arena 4 was transformed into a cauldron of excitement as players from across the globe battled for Olympic glory. The day marked a historic occasion as Santoo SHRESTHA from Nepal Fathimath ALI from the Maldives and Vladislav URSU from Moldova became the first table tennis players to represent their respective nations at the Olympic Games. On court thrilling matches kept spectators on the edge of their seats. From the exhilarating seven-game battle between Elizabeta SAMARA and Solomiya BRATEYKO to the dominant displays of Britt EERLAND and Truls MOREGARD the opening day of competition delivered non-stop excitement. Defying age NI Xia Lian 61 wrote her name into the Olympic record books as the oldest player to win a table tennis match at the Games defeating Turkey’s Sibel ALTINKAYA. The day concluded with a series of thrilling contests. Georgina POTA staged a remarkable comeback from 3-1 down to defeat Germany’s Xiaona SHAN 4-3 while Quadri ARUNA’S hopes of repeating his Rio 2016 quarterfinals performance were dashed by Eduard IONESCU who completed an astonishing 4-3 upset in his Olympic debut. The 20-year-old Romanian saved a total of 6 match points to defeat the Nigerian (8-11 9-11 6-11 11-8 12-10 11-9 13-11). A particular highlight came in the form of Prithika PAVADE’S triumph over Iranian Neda SHAHSAVARI. The Frenchwoman’s victory ignited the crowd sending the arena into raptures. Her achievement marked a historic moment for French table tennis as she secured the first French table tennis win on home soil at the Paris Olympics. The mixed doubles competition also produced its share of drama. The French pairing of Jia Nan YUAN and Alexis LEBRUN buoyed by the home crowd narrowly missed out on a place in the next round losing a closely contested match. Meanwhile a major upset saw DPR Korea’s Ri Jong SIK and Kim Kum YONG sensationally defeat the second-seeded Japanese pair of Hina HAYATA and Tomokazu HARIMOTO.

On the first day of play at the Olympic Games in Paris the Round of 16 was held in South Paris Arena 4. Three European pairings reached the quarterfinals: the Spanish duo of Alvaro ROBLES and Maria XIAO Sweden’s Kristian KARLSSON and Christina KALLBERG and Romania’s Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS. ROBLES and XIAO defeated Brazil’s Vitor ISHIY and Bruna TAKAHASHI 4-2 (11-9 7-11 7-11 11-8 11-5 11-8). In the next round they will face Hong Kong’s Wong Chun TING and Doo Hoi KEM. IONESCU and SZOCS overcame Nicholas LUM and Minhyung JEE 4-1 (11-5 6-11 14-12 11-4 11-3). They will meet Lim JONGHOON and Shin YUBIN in the Round of 8. KARLSSON and KALLBERG prevailed against Jorge CAMPOS and Daniela FONSECA CARRAZANA 4-1 (6-11 12-10 11-9 11-7 11-9). Their next adversaries will be Korea’s RI Jong Sik and KIM Kum Yong.

Today the Paris 2024 Olympic Games commence the table tennis tournament marking a significant milestone for the sport as it celebrates its 10th appearance at the Olympics since its debut at the Seoul 1988 Olympics. Venue and Schedule Located in the vibrant 15th arrondissement of Paris South Paris Arena 4 part of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles complex will host the table tennis events. This versatile venue nestled in the heart of the French capital will also feature competitions in handball volleyball and weightlifting during the Olympics. Following the Games it will resume its role as a key exhibition center. Competition Dates: 15 Days of Competition | 27 July – 10 August. Medal Days to Watch: Mixed Doubles: Tuesday 30 July Women’s Singles: Saturday 3 August Men’s Singles: Sunday 4 August Men’s Teams: Friday 9 August Women’s Teams: Saturday 10 August Playing system Singles: 70 players Maximum 2 players per National Olympic Committee (NOC) Knockout format Best of 7 games Bronze medal match Mixed Doubles: 16 pairs Maximum 1 pair per NOC Knockout format Best of 7 games Bronze medal match Teams: 16 teams Maximum 1 team per NOC Each team match consists of 5 individual matches (maximum 1 doubles and 4 singles) Best of 5 games Bronze medal match

On the 10th Olympic appearance of the sport at the Games the table tennis tournament will be played in South Paris Arena 4 from July 27 to August 10 2024. The draw for the events you can see here.  

“We must perform very well to give ourselves the opportunity to win another medal. We will definitely give it our all ” says Timo BOLL at the German Table Tennis Association’s Media Day. The intense Olympic training camp at the German Table Tennis Center in Düsseldorf has come to an end. On July 21 the first German table tennis players traveled to Paris by train where the table tennis competitions begin on July 27. Timo BOLL How is your current form and the state of Olympic preparations? “The form is good the training intensity is very high. I feel that we as a team and myself are on a good path.” How do you see the chances of fulfilling your dream of an Olympic medal one last time? “We all know how strong the competition is. We must perform very well to give ourselves the opportunity to win another medal. We will definitely give it our all.” Seven Olympic Games is a historic milestone. What does it mean to you emotionally knowing you are traveling to Paris for your last Olympics indeed your last international tournament? “Currently it helps me to bring diligence to training because I know that things will calm down after the Olympics. But otherwise I’m in my tunnel and not thinking about it too often. First work then pleasure!” Dang QIU How does it feel to be counted among the medal contenders at your first Olympic Games? “When you have the honor of competing for Germany you automatically belong to the world elite as you have already beaten world-class players internally. It’s fantastic to be considered a medal contender in Paris. However I also know how difficult it will be given the number of incredibly strong competitors. I cannot predict whether my ‘lack of experience’ at the Olympics will play a role in the end. But I’m happy to be counted among the big names who are medal contenders. I will do everything to be in the final decisions.” In recent times you have almost always encountered top Chinese players at major tournaments. However in Paris China is only represented by two singles players. How do you see your chances? “Regardless of who my opponents are I must focus on myself to bring my own strengths and qualities to the table. If I succeed in this I do not need to fear anyone. But I pay great respect to all opponents including the Chinese knowing they are preparing very diligently and are immensely excited about the Olympics just like me. The Olympics in Paris are a tournament that is incredibly tight and strong where anything can happen.” How do you see your medal chances with the team and alongside Nina Mittelham in mixed doubles? “Our team medal chances are very good. We have a very strong squad and have undergone an intense preparation together. Everyone is training very diligently and I think the form looks good for everyone. Of course the competition is not sleeping quite the opposite: the breadth at the top has grown even larger. We need to be in top form to be in medal contention. But we have an incredibly good team that controls its destiny if we play our best table tennis.” “In mixed doubles our seeding from nine to sixteen is not ideal. Nina and I could face a very strong Asian duo right away which would not be ideal. But we are top in Europe as our titles at the European Games and the European Championships in Warsaw have shown. It is more difficult against the Asians but not impossible. One thing is certain: we need to surpass ourselves if we want to compete for a medal.” Dimitrij OVTCHAROV You have been playing better and better in recent months and seem to be much closer to your Olympic form. Have you managed to extract the last few percent? “It has been going better and better in recent months. It was unfortunate that I did not win the matches against CALDERANO and HARIMOTO despite very strong performances. The tournament victory in Nigeria and the wins in the Greek league gave me additional confidence. Based on this good form I have once again extracted a lot from myself. I feel that I am in absolute top form for the first time since Tokyo. It is the best form I have had since 2021 and I currently believe I can achieve anything.” How do you see your chances in singles and with the team to extend your record as the Olympic medal record holder with six medals so far? “The top level in table tennis has broadened in all directions. Previously there were three or four top teams now there are seven or eight. Previously there were seven or eight top singles players now there are 16 to 20. The level is incredibly tight but I am definitely one of the candidates. I have the inner belief. As the Olympics approach my confidence grows through my previous successes. Many other top players – such as Lebrun Calderano or Harimoto – have not yet won a medal. So the pressure is more on these players than on me. In both singles and with the team the goal is to compete for a medal.” Your outstanding Olympic record is also a sign of mental strength. How do you manage to always reach your limit or exceed it at the Olympic Games as in perhaps the best Olympic match of all time in the Tokyo semi-final against MA Long? “I try to build up high pressure for myself long before the Olympics. For example I imagine in tournaments that these are already the Olympic competitions. This way I feel higher pressure than other players and performing becomes a bit more difficult. But you actually get more and more used to it over time. When I was at the Olympics I often felt very well prepared for these exceptional situations mentally and in terms of

Georgina PÓTA’S example can inspire every young athlete. Through her dedication perseverance and passion she has become one of the greatest stars of Hungarian table tennis continually setting new goals to further enhance her country’s reputation. “I am proud of what I have achieved so far but there is always room for improvement. My dream is to achieve more international success and to crown my Olympic participation with a great result ” said POTA in the interview made by Hungarian Table Tennis Association Marketing and PR manager Vanda FILIPOWICZ. PÓTA began her sports career at the age of five following in her mother’s footsteps.  “My mom played table tennis at ESMTK and took me to her training sessions. When I was five years old I said I wanted to try it too. That’s how it all started ” Gina recalled. Initially she approached training as a game but it soon became clear that she had significant talent. At the age of six she transferred to Statisztika PSC where she began training daily gradually increasing her training hours. “There was no question about what sport I would choose; this was perfect for me. I’m not a big runner or a gym girl ” Gina said highlighting how much she enjoyed the playfulness and variety of table tennis. She excelled in both youth and adult categories as reflected in her first newspaper article: “My first newspaper article appeared when I was 13 or 14 written by Miki SZŰCS saying that I was a rookie on the main draw.” Throughout her career Gina gained a wealth of experience and achieved numerous successes. Her notable achievements include her first Champions League victory with Statisztika and the European Championship title in doubles with Krisztina TÓTH. “There were always very good players at Statisztika including foreign players like Tamara BOROS and Kriszti TÓTH who were my role models. We also won the European Championship.” For Gina table tennis was not just a sport but a way of life and she always aimed to get better: “At home I had a trophy room not a playroom but a trophy room and I used to arrange my trophies there.” The Beijing Olympics hold particularly fond memories for Gina where she participated with Petra LOVAS and Kriszti TÓTH. “The Olympics was a great experience. The venue was enormous and everything was new. It was strange to go to such a huge complex after smaller competitions.” Gina acknowledges that participating in the Olympics is especially challenging for a European table tennis player: “I always thought that qualifying for the Olympics was a great achievement but I was quite far from being a medal contender. I know my limits and what I am capable of and a medal seemed out of reach.” Gina’s future also holds challenges and she sets ambitious goals for herself. “I’d be happy to make it into the top 16 ” she said regarding the Paris Olympics indicating that she realistically assesses her chances but still sets high goals.  “First I have to compete in a qualification tournament. I have to play against the best in the world but I really want it and I hope I can make it.” Throughout her career Gina has developed significantly both technically and mentally. She has successfully adapted to the changing landscape of the sport and faced opponents with various playing styles. Her experience playing in Germany has also been invaluable: “Playing in Germany had a very positive impact on my game because I learned to play against defenders penhold players pimpled rubber players and left-handers. In Berlin I played many matches against different styles whereas at home there weren’t many defenders or pimpled rubber players which greatly improved my game.” During her years in Germany Gina not only improved her game but also grew as a person. “I learned a lot about independence and responsibility. In Germany I had to manage on my own which helped me immensely in all aspects of life.” Additionally the competitions and continuous challenges there contributed to her better understanding her own limits and capabilities.