The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) determine the Qualification System for the Olympic Games in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Unfortunately, not all the best players will be able to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

For the table tennis events there is a limit on the total number of players who can take part - 86 men and 86 women.

And each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can only send a maximum of three men and three women (with a maximum of two men and two women playing in the singles events and one man and one woman playing in the mixed doubles).

So some of the stronger table tennis nations, like China, who have several players in the top 20 of the World Ranking list, will only able to send a maximum of three men and three women to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games.

However, this means that the rivalry between the various nationalities will be more intense, and provide us with some excellent matches.

The table tennis players who compete in the Olympic Games represent their National Olympic Committee rather than their country (for example, competitors from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland represent Great Britain) and they have to meet certain eligibility criteria before they can be considered.

So let's take a look at how table tennis players qualify.

Note: The qualification system changes subtly when/if certain criteria are/are not met.

There is a complicated qualification system for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games table tennis events, but without getting too bogged down with the full details, here's a brief summary...

86 men and 86 women qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games as follows:

For each gender...

• 48 players (3 per NOCs) for the 16 teams that qualify for the team event (this must include any player who qualifies for the mixed doubles event)
• Up to 15 players who qualify for the mixed doubles event
• Up to 22 players who qualify for the singles events via a Continental Qualification event or via the ITTF World Ranking list issued on 18 June 2024 (with a maximum of two players per NOC)
• One player nominated by NOC and chosen by the IOC/ANOC/ITTF
  
  

Each NOC can only have a maximum of three men and three women competing - with a maximum of two men and two women in the singles events, one pair in the mixed doubles event and a maximum of one men's team and one women's team.

There are a maximum of 86 players to take part in team, singles and mixed doubles events.

The team events consist of...

• 6 Continental teams (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania)
  
  
• 9 teams who either reached the quarter-finals at the 2024 World Team Championships and/or by their World Team Ranking.
  
  
• 1 host country team (France)

NB. The Host Country (France) is guaranteed two Men's Singles places and two Women's Singles places, one Mixed Doubles place, plus one Men's team and one Women's team.

The complicated qualification system for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games table tennis events will be completed by 30 June 2024.

This is the date that the ITTF allocate all the final quota places, whilst 8 July 2024 is the deadline for the Paris 2024 Organising Committee to receive entry forms.

Teams and players therefore qualify to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games between 2 September 2023 and 30 June 2024.

You can see which teams and players have qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games table tennis events here.