To celebrate this special occasion, ITTF hosted a special ‘100 days to Paris’ event in Macao, during the return of the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup, with Olympic Champions, Ma Long and Chen Meng, ITTF President Petra Sörling, ITTF Deputy President Liu Guoliang, ITTF Group CEO Steve Dainton, and ITTF Secretary General Raul Calin in attendance. A light display was also illuminated on one of the skyscrapers with a special animation celebrating the milestone.
“I am thrilled as we kick off the 100-day countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This moment signifies the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from table tennis athletes worldwide. It represents not only the pinnacle of table tennis achievement but also the beginning of a remarkable display of talent and resilience from our athletes. As we enter into this final stretch, let us embrace the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship and eagerly await the thrilling table tennis action that awaits us in Paris.” ITTF President, Petra Sörling.
This marks the third time Paris has hosted the Summer Olympic Games, one of two cities to have hosted the Games three times (1900, 1924 and 2024). Table tennis first appeared at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, with Men’s and Women’s singles and doubles. In 2008, the doubles competition was replaced with the team competition, and the program was expanded for the 2020 Tokyo Games to include mixed doubles, bringing the number of events to a total of five, allowing the same number of women and men to take part in the Olympic table tennis competitions.
Paris 2024 promises to be a thrilling stage for table tennis, with a total of 172 coveted spots (86 for men and 86 for women) up for grabs. Table tennis and Para Table Tennis will be hosted in South Paris Arena #4, an exhibition and convention centre which will be a major hub for the Paris 2024 Games. The list of players and mixed doubles pairs who have already booked their tickets to Paris is available here.
Journey to Paris
With the final line-up for the team’s event complete, the roster for the Paris 2024 Olympics promises an unparalleled spectacle. Here are all the teams you can expect to see lighting up the arena aiming for Olympic Gold.
| Men’s Teams | Women’s Teams |
| 1. Australia (Continental Qualification) | 1. Australia (Continental Qualification) |
| 2. Brazil (Continental Qualification) | 2. Brazil (Continental Qualification) |
| 3. Canada (Continental Qualification) | 3. China (Continental Qualification) |
| 4. China (Continental Qualification) | 4. Chinese Taipei (World Championships Qualification) |
| 5. Chinese Taipei (World Championships Qualification) | 5. Egypt (Continental Qualification) |
| 6. Croatia (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) | 6. France (Host) |
| 7. Denmark (World Championships Qualification) | 7. Germany (Continental Qualification) |
| 8. Egypt (Continental Qualification) | 8. Hong Kong, China (World Championships Qualification) |
| 9. France (Host) | 9. India (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) |
| 10. Germany (World Championships Qualification) | 10. Japan (World Championships Qualification) |
| 11. India (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) | 11. Korea Republic (World Championships Qualification) |
| 12. Japan (World Championships Qualification) | 12. Poland (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) |
| 13. Korea Republic (World Championships Qualification) | 13. Romania (World Championships Qualification) |
| 14. Portugal (World Championships Qualification) | 14. Sweden (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) |
| 15. Slovenia (World Ranking Qualification) | 15. Thailand (World Ranking Qualification) |
| 16. Sweden (Continental Qualification) | 16. USA (Continental Qualification) |
However, the journey to Paris is far from complete. While some athletes have already secured their place in the prestigious event, others are still in the midst of fierce competition to earn crucial world rankings points and secure the remaining spots in both the Singles and Mixed Doubles events. As of now, there are 15 spots up for grabs in the Singles event, with quota places to be determined based on the Singles World Ranking as of Week 25 (Tuesday, June 18, 2024). Additionally, 5 spots are still available in the Mixed Doubles event, with quota places to be decided according to the Mixed Doubles World Ranking as of Week 19 (Tuesday, May 7, 2024). A projection of the rankings as of the dates for qualification have been developed. It encompasses only the points that will be valid at those dates, check it out here.
With several events remaining before the deadline, including the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup currently being held in Macao, where valuable world ranking points are at stake, athletes are fiercely competing to secure their spot in Paris.
Fans can stay up to date on the Race to Paris 2024 at the dedicated event page.
