Table tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Table tennis
at the 2012 Summer Olympics
in London
is scheduled to take place from Saturday 28 July to Wednesday 8 August 2012 at ExCeL Exhibition Centre
. 172 athletes, 86 men and 86 women, will compete in four events. Table tennis has appeared at the Summer Olympics on six previous occasions beginning with the 1988 Games
in Seoul
. In addition to men's and women's singles the team events will be staged for the second time since replacing doubles events at the 2008 Beijing Games
. China is the defending champion in each of the Olympic events having won all four gold medals in 2008
.
will qualify six athletes automatically; a team of three men, one of whom will compete in the singles
, and a team of three women, one of whom will compete in the singles.
The top 28 male and top 28 female players on the International Table Tennis Federation's ranking list immediately after the 2011 World Table Tennis Championships
, which finished on 15 May 2011 in the Netherlands, were qualified for the singles events at Games. No nation can have more than two players per gender in the singles events at the Games, so some players below 28th place were given a qualification berth based on their ranking. For example five of the world's top six ranked male singles players are from China.
Ten continental qualification tournaments will then be used to assign a total of 40 places between 28 June 2011 and 22 April 2012. A final qualification tournament will take place in 10 May 2012 to assign a further two places per gender. One invitational place per gender will be allocated by the International Table Tennis Federation
(ITTF).
Entries for the team events will be decided at the 2012 World Team Championships
. The highest-ranked nation from each of the six continents earn the right to enter as long as three of its players have met the qualification criteria for the singles event, only two can actually participate in the singles, but it is possible for far more to meet the criteria. After that the top remaining teams from the 2012 World Team Championships fill out the Olympic event until there are 16 teams in place, including one guaranteed berth for the hosts, Great Britain. Teams qualify a third player for the Olympics who may not enter the singles if two players from their nation are qualified.
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
at the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
is scheduled to take place from Saturday 28 July to Wednesday 8 August 2012 at ExCeL Exhibition Centre
ExCeL Exhibition Centre
ExCeL London is an exhibitions and conference centre in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located on a site on the northern quay of the Royal Victoria Dock in London Docklands, between Canary Wharf and London City Airport.- History :The centre was built by Sir Robert McAlpine, opened...
. 172 athletes, 86 men and 86 women, will compete in four events. Table tennis has appeared at the Summer Olympics on six previous occasions beginning with the 1988 Games
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. In addition to men's and women's singles the team events will be staged for the second time since replacing doubles events at the 2008 Beijing Games
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. China is the defending champion in each of the Olympic events having won all four gold medals in 2008
Table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Table tennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 13 to August 23, at the Peking University Gymnasium. The competition featured the team events for the first time, replacing the doubles events competed in previous games...
.
Qualification
As hosts Great BritainGreat Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Great Britain is scheduled to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom from July 27 to August 12, 2012 as the host nation...
will qualify six athletes automatically; a team of three men, one of whom will compete in the singles
Table tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's singles
The Men's singles table tennis event will be part of the table tennis program at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The event will take place from Saturday 28 July to Thursday 2 August 2012 at ExCeL Exhibition Centre....
, and a team of three women, one of whom will compete in the singles.
The top 28 male and top 28 female players on the International Table Tennis Federation's ranking list immediately after the 2011 World Table Tennis Championships
2011 World Table Tennis Championships
The GAC GROUP 2011 World Table Tennis Championships was held at the Ahoy indoor sporting arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands from May 8 to May 15, 2011. This decision was announced in February 2008. It was the 51st edition contested. The tournament was organised by the ITTF and The Netherlands Table...
, which finished on 15 May 2011 in the Netherlands, were qualified for the singles events at Games. No nation can have more than two players per gender in the singles events at the Games, so some players below 28th place were given a qualification berth based on their ranking. For example five of the world's top six ranked male singles players are from China.
Ten continental qualification tournaments will then be used to assign a total of 40 places between 28 June 2011 and 22 April 2012. A final qualification tournament will take place in 10 May 2012 to assign a further two places per gender. One invitational place per gender will be allocated by the International Table Tennis Federation
International Table Tennis Federation
The International Table Tennis Federation is the governing body for all national table tennis associations.-Founding history:The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales...
(ITTF).
Entries for the team events will be decided at the 2012 World Team Championships
2012 World Team Table Tennis Championships
The 2012 World Team Table Tennis Championships will be held in Dortmund, Germany from March 25 to April 1, 2012. It will be the 51st edition to be contested. To be eligible to have a team entered for the team events in 2012 Summer Olympics, the ITTF member association must have participated in the...
. The highest-ranked nation from each of the six continents earn the right to enter as long as three of its players have met the qualification criteria for the singles event, only two can actually participate in the singles, but it is possible for far more to meet the criteria. After that the top remaining teams from the 2012 World Team Championships fill out the Olympic event until there are 16 teams in place, including one guaranteed berth for the hosts, Great Britain. Teams qualify a third player for the Olympics who may not enter the singles if two players from their nation are qualified.