Table tennis at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Table tennis at the Summer Olympics |
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| Governing body | ITTF |
| Events | 5 (men: 2; women: 2; mixed: 1) |
| Games | |
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Table tennis competition has been in the Summer Olympic Games since 1988, with singles and doubles events for men and women. Athletes from China have dominated the sport, winning a total of 60 medals in 37 events, including 32 out of a possible 37 gold medals, and only failing to win at least one medal in one event, the inaugural Men's Singles event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Summary
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Events
In 1992 (only), two bronze medals were awarded in each event. In 2008, the doubles events were replaced by team events to lessen the emphasis on doubles play. Chinese table tennis team won 8 medals and made podium sweeps on the men's and woman's singles events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Due to China's dominance in the sport, the format was changed for the 2012 Olympics so that each NOC may enter up to two competitors in singles events. With gender equality a big focus, mixed doubles event became one of the nine new mixed-gender events at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
| Event | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's singles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
| Men's doubles | X | X | X | X | X | 5 | |||||
| Men's team | X | X | X | X | X | 5 | |||||
| Women's singles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
| Women's doubles | X | X | X | X | X | 5 | |||||
| Women's team | X | X | X | X | X | 5 | |||||
| Mixed doubles | X | X | 2 | ||||||||
| Events | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Medal table
Sources:
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China (CHN) |
32 | 20 | 8 | 60 |
| 2 |  South Korea (KOR) |
3 | 3 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 |  Japan (JPN) |
1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 4 |  Sweden (SWE) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 |  Germany (GER) |
0 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 6 |  North Korea (PRK) |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 |  Chinese Taipei (TPE) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Singapore (SIN) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 9 |  France (FRA) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Hong Kong (HKG) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Yugoslavia (YUG) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 12 |  Denmark (DEN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (12 entries) | 37 | 37 | 41 | 115 | |
Number of athletes by nation
In addition to independent Olympians and the Unified Team in 1992, athletes from 104 NOCs had competed in the Olympic table tennis tournaments.
| Nation | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria (ALG) |
– | – | – | 2 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 4 |
 Argentina (ARG) |
1 | 2 | – | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | 7 |
 Australia (AUS) |
3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
 Austria (AUT) |
2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
 Belarus (BLR) |
– | – | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | 6 |
 Belgium (BEL) |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 7 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) |
– | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
 Brazil (BRA) |
2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
 Bulgaria (BUL) |
2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 3 |
 Cameroon (CMR) |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | 3 |
 Canada (CAN) |
3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
 Chile (CHI) |
3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 |
| China (CHN) |
7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
 Colombia (COL) |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 3 |
 Republic of the Congo (CGO) |
– | – | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 3 | – | 3 |
 Croatia (CRO) |
– | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
 Cuba (CUB) |
– | 4 | – | 5 | – | – | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
 Czech Republic (CZE) |
– | – | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
 Czechoslovakia (TCH) |
4 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Denmark (DEN) |
– | – | – | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
 Djibouti (DJI) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 |
 Dominican Republic (DOM) |
3 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 5 |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo (COD) |
– | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Ecuador (ECU) |
– | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 |
 Egypt (EGY) |
3 | 2 | – | 5 | – | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
 Estonia (EST) |
– | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Fiji (FIJ) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Finland (FIN) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| France (FRA) |
2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| Germany (GER) |
– | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
 Ghana (GHA) |
1 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
 Great Britain (GBR) |
4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 6 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
 Greece (GRE) |
– | – | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
 Guyana (GUY) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
 Honduras (HON) |
– | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Hong Kong (HKG) |
6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
 Hungary (HUN) |
5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
 India (IND) |
3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
 Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA) |
– | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Indonesia (INA) |
1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
 Iran (IRI) |
– | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
 Iraq (IRQ) |
1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Israel (ISR) |
– | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Italy (ITA) |
1 | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | 2 | – | 1 | 7 |
 Jamaica (JAM) |
1 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Japan (JPN) |
7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
 Jordan (JOR) |
1 | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 |
 Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Kuwait (KUW) |
– | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 3 |
 Latvia (LAT) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 |
 Lebanon (LBN) |
– | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | 3 |
 Libya (LBA) |
– | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Lithuania (LTU) |
– | – | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
 Luxembourg (LUX) |
– | – | – | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
 Malaysia (MAS) |
2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Mauritius (MRI) |
2 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
 Mexico (MEX) |
– | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | 4 |
 Monaco (MON) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
 Mongolia (MGL) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 |
 Morocco (MAR) |
– | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Netherlands (NED) |
2 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
 New Zealand (NZL) |
2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 5 |
 Nigeria (NGR) |
6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| North Korea (PRK) |
– | 8 | 7 | – | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | – | 6 |
 Pakistan (PAK) |
1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Paraguay (PAR) |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 3 |
 Peru (PER) |
1 | 4 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 4 |
 Philippines (PHI) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
 Poland (POL) |
3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
 Portugal (POR) |
– | – | – | – | – | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
 Puerto Rico (PUR) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 2 |
 Qatar (QAT) |
– | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | 4 |
 Republic of China (ROC) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 1 |
 Romania (ROU) |
– | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
 Russia (RUS) |
– | – | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | – | 6 |
 Saudi Arabia (KSA) |
– | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 3 |
 Senegal (SEN) |
– | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 2 |
 Serbia (SRB) |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 Serbia and Montenegro (SCG) |
– | – | 3 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Singapore (SGP) |
– | – | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
 Slovakia (SVK) |
– | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | 3 | 3 | 4 |
 Slovenia (SLO) |
– | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
 South Africa (RSA) |
– | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| South Korea (KOR) |
7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
 Soviet Union (URS) |
5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Spain (ESP) |
– | 4 | – | – | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Sudan (SUD) |
– | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Sweden (SWE) |
4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
 Switzerland (SUI) |
– | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 |
 Syria (SYR) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Chinese Taipei (TPE) |
6 | – | 6 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
 Thailand (THA) |
– | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
 Togo (TOG) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
 Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) |
– | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 2 |
 Tunisia (TUN) |
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | – | 1 | 2 | 7 |
 Turkey (TUR) |
– | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | 3 |
 Turkmenistan (TKM) |
– | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
 Uganda (UGA) |
– | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
 Ukraine (UKR) |
– | – | – | 1 | – | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Unified Team (EUN) |
– | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 United States (USA) |
3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
 Uzbekistan (UZB) |
– | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | 2 |
 Vanuatu (VAN) |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
 Venezuela (VEN) |
2 | – | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 7 |
 Vietnam (VIE) |
– | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 |
| Yugoslavia (YUG) |
5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| West Germany (FRG) |
6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Nations | 41 | 48 | 51 | 48 | 50 | 56 | 57 | 56 | 57 | |
| Athletes | 129 | 159 | 166 | 171 | 172 | 171 | 174 | 172 | 173 | |
| Year | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
Winners
Men's singles
| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Seoul |  Yoo Nam-kyu |
Kim Ki-taik |
 Erik Lindh |
| 1992 | Barcelona | Jan-Ove Waldner |
 Jean-Philippe Gatien |
Kim Taek-soo |
 Ma Wenge |
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| 1996 | Atlanta | Liu Guoliang |
Wang Tao |
 Jörg Roßkopf |
| 2000 | Sydney | Kong Linghui |
Jan-Ove Waldner |
Liu Guoliang |
| 2004 | Athens |  Ryu Seung-min |
Wang Hao |
Wang Liqin |
| 2008 | Beijing | Ma Lin |
Wang Hao |
Wang Liqin |
| 2012 | London | Zhang Jike |
Wang Hao |
Dimitrij Ovtcharov |
| 2016 | Rio | Ma Long |
Zhang Jike |
 Jun Mizutani |
| 2020 | Tokyo | Ma Long |
Fan Zhendong |
Dimitrij Ovtcharov |
Women's singles
| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Seoul | Chen Jing |
Li Huifen |
Jiao Zhimin |
| 1992 | Barcelona | Deng Yaping |
Qiao Hong |
Hyun Jung-hwa |
 Li Bun-hui |
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| 1996 | Atlanta | Deng Yaping |
 Chen Jing |
Qiao Hong |
| 2000 | Sydney | Wang Nan |
Li Ju |
Chen Jing |
| 2004 | Athens | Zhang Yining |
Kim Hyang-mi |
 Kim Kyung-ah |
| 2008 | Beijing | Zhang Yining |
Wang Nan |
Guo Yue |
| 2012 | London | Li Xiaoxia |
Ding Ning |
 Feng Tianwei |
| 2016 | Rio | Ding Ning |
Li Xiaoxia |
Kim Song-i |
| 2020 | Tokyo | Chen Meng |
Sun Yingsha |
Mima Ito |
Men's doubles
| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Seoul | Chen Longcan Wei Qingguang |
 Ilija Lupulesku Zoran Primorac |
Ahn Jae-hyung Yoo Nam-kyu |
| 1992 | Barcelona | Lü Lin Wang Tao |
Steffen Fetzner Jörg Roßkopf |
Kang Hee-chan Lee Chul-seung |
| Kim Taek-soo Yoo Nam-kyu |
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| 1996 | Atlanta | Kong Linghui Liu Guoliang |
Lü Lin Wang Tao |
Lee Chul-seung Yoo Nam-kyu |
| 2000 | Sydney | Wang Liqin Yan Sen |
Kong Linghui Liu Guoliang |
Patrick Chila Jean-Philippe Gatien |
| 2004 | Athens | Chen Qi Ma Lin |
 Ko Lai Chak Li Ching |
 Michael Maze Finn Tugwell |
Women's doubles
| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Seoul | Hyun Jung-hwa Yang Young-ja |
Chen Jing Jiao Zhimin |
Jasna Fazlić Gordana Perkučin |
| 1992 | Barcelona | Deng Yaping Qiao Hong |
Chen Zihe Gao Jun |
Hong Cha-ok Hyun Jung-hwa |
| Li Bun-hui Yu Sun-bok |
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| 1996 | Atlanta | Deng Yaping Qiao Hong |
Liu Wei Qiao Yunping |
Park Hae-jung Ryu Ji-hye |
| 2000 | Sydney | Li Ju Wang Nan |
Sun Jin Yang Ying |
Kim Moo-kyo Ryu Ji-hye |
| 2004 | Athens | Wang Nan Zhang Yining |
Lee Eun-sil Seok Eun-mi |
Guo Yue Niu Jianfeng |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tokyo | Jun Mizutani Mima Ito |
Xu Xin Liu Shiwen |
Lin Yun-ju Cheng I-ching |
Men's team
| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Beijing | China Ma Lin Wang Hao Wang Liqin |
Germany Timo Boll Christian Süß Dimitrij Ovtcharov |
South Korea Oh Sang-eun Ryu Seung-min Yoon Jae-young |
| 2012 | London | China Ma Long Wang Hao Zhang Jike |
South Korea Joo Se-hyuk Oh Sang-eun Ryu Seung-min |
Germany Timo Boll Dimitrij Ovtcharov Bastian Steger |
| 2016 | Rio | China Ma Long Xu Xin Zhang Jike |
Japan Jun Mizutani Koki Niwa Maharu Yoshimura |
Germany Timo Boll Dimitrij Ovtcharov Bastian Steger |
| 2020 | Tokyo | China Fan Zhendong Ma Long Xu Xin |
Germany Timo Boll Patrick Franziska Dimitrij Ovtcharov |
Japan Tomokazu Harimoto Jun Mizutani Koki Niwa |
Women's team
| Year | Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Beijing | China Guo Yue Wang Nan Zhang Yining |
Singapore Feng Tianwei Li Jiawei Wang Yuegu |
South Korea Dang Ye-seo Kim Kyung-ah Park Mi-young |
| 2012 | London | China Ding Ning Guo Yue Li Xiaoxia |
Japan Ai Fukuhara Sayaka Hirano Kasumi Ishikawa |
Singapore Feng Tianwei Li Jiawei Wang Yuegu |
| 2016 | Rio | China Ding Ning Li Xiaoxia Liu Shiwen |
Germany Han Ying Shan Xiaona Petrissa Solja |
Japan Ai Fukuhara Kasumi Ishikawa Mima Ito |
| 2020 | Tokyo | China Chen Meng Sun Yingsha Wang Manyu |
Japan Miu Hirano Kasumi Ishikawa Mima Ito |
Hong Kong Doo Hoi Kem Lee Ho Ching Minnie Soo |
See also
In Spanish: Tenis de mesa en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
- List of Olympic venues in table tennis
- List of naturalised Olympic table tennis players from China
- Table tennis at the Summer Paralympics
- Table tennis at the Youth Olympic Games
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Table tennis at the Summer Olympics Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.