Table tennis at the Summer Olympics

Table tennis has been a part of the Summer Olympic Games since the 1988 Olympics. The sport includes singles and doubles events for both men and women. Over the years, athletes from China have been very successful in table tennis. They have won many medals, including most of the gold medals available, showing their strong skill in this sport. Their amazing performance has made table tennis at the Olympics very exciting and competitive.

Summary

Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988. Since then, it has included singles and doubles events for both men and women.

China has been very successful in table tennis at the Olympics, winning many medals, including most of the gold medals available.

Games Year Events Best nation 24 1988 4  China (1) 25 1992 4  China (2) 26 1996 4  China (3) 27 2000 4  China (4) 28 2004 4  China (5) 29 2008 4  China (6) 30 2012 4  China (7) 31 2016 4  China (8) 32 2020 5  China (9) 33 2024 5  China (10) 34 2028 6

Events

In 1992, two bronze medals were given out in each event. In 2008, the doubles events changed to team events. The Chinese table tennis team won 8 medals and took the top three spots in both the men's and women's singles events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Because China is so strong in this sport, the rules were changed for the 2012 Olympics so that each country could send up to two players in singles events. To focus on gender equality, a mixed doubles event was added as one of the new mixed-gender events at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The IOC plans to add a mixed team event for the 2028 Summer Olympics, while the men's and women's team events will be removed and replaced with men's and women's doubles events.

Medal table

See also: List of Olympic medalists in table tennis

Updated after the 2024 Olympics.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	37	21	8	66
2	South Korea	3	3	14	20
3	Japan	1	4	5	10
4	Sweden	1	3	1	5
5	Germany	0	4	5	9
6	North Korea	0	2	3	5
7	France	0	1	3	4
8	Chinese Taipei	0	1	2	3
	Singapore	0	1	2	3
10	Hong Kong	0	1	1	2
	Yugoslavia	0	1	1	2
12	Denmark	0	0	1	1
Totals (12 entries)		42	42	46	130

Number of athletes by nation

Athletes from 108 different countries have competed in the Olympic table tennis tournaments. In addition to players from independent Olympians and the Unified Team in 1992, many nations have taken part in these events.

Nation	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	24	Years
Algeria	–	–	–	2	5	1	–	–	1	2	5
Argentina	1	2	–	2	3	2	1	–	2	1	8
Australia	3	2	5	9	6	6	6	6	6	6	10
Austria	2	2	4	5	4	6	6	6	6	2	10
Belarus	URS	EUN	2	5	5	4	3	3	–	AIN	6
Belgium	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	–	–	2	8
Bosnia and Herzegovina	YUG	–	1	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	2
Brazil	2	4	4	3	5	4	6	6	6	6	10
Bulgaria	2	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	3
Cameroon	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	–	1	1	4
Canada	3	2	5	6	4	5	4	2	3	4	10
Chile	3	3	4	5	4	–	1	–	1	3	8
China	7	8	8	9	9	6	6	6	7	6	10
Chinese Taipei	6	–	6	7	4	5	3	6	6	6	9
Colombia	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	1	–	–	3
Republic of the Congo	–	–	–	–	–	2	3	3	–	1	4
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	1
Croatia	YUG	2	4	4	3	6	4	1	3	4	9
Cuba	–	4	–	5	–	–	1	2	2	3	6
Czech Republic	TCH		3	2	4	2	2	4	2	1	8
Czechoslovakia	4	5	Dissolved								2
Denmark	–	–	–	2	2	1	3	1	1	3	7
Djibouti	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1
Dominican Republic	3	–	1	–	2	4	1	–	–	–	5
Ecuador	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	3
Egypt	3	2	–	5	–	5	6	5	6	7	8
Estonia	URS	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
Fiji	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	1	3
Finland	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	1
France	2	6	6	5	1	4	3	4	6	6	10
Germany	–	5	7	8	8	6	6	6	6	7	9
Ghana	1	2	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3
Great Britain	4	6	4	1	–	–	6	3	3	2	8
Greece	–	–	2	2	4	3	2	1	1	1	8
Guyana	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	2
Honduras	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1
Hong Kong	6	4	4	4	8	6	6	6	6	4	10
Hungary	5	1	4	3	3	4	4	3	6	3	10
Independent Olympic Athletes	–	5	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
India	3	4	2	3	2	2	2	4	4	6	10
Indonesia	1	3	2	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	4
Iran	–	1	–	1	1	1	2	3	1	3	8
Iraq	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
Israel	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1
Italy	1	1	3	–	5	3	2	–	1	2	8
Jamaica	1	1	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3
Japan	7	8	8	9	8	6	6	6	6	6	10
Jordan	1	1	–	1	1	1	–	–	–	1	6
Kazakhstan	URS	EUN	–	–	–	1	–	1	2	1	4
Kuwait	–	–	1	–	–	1	1	–	–	–	3
Latvia	URS	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1
Lebanon	–	–	1	–	–	–	1	1	–	1	4
Libya	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
Lithuania	URS	–	1	2	–	1	–	–	–	–	3
Luxembourg	–	–	–	2	–	1	1	1	2	3	6
Madagascar	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1
Malaysia	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
Maldives	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1
Mauritius	2	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	2
Mexico	–	–	1	–	–	1	1	2	–	2	5
Moldova	URS	EUN	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1
Monaco	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	2
Mongolia	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	1
Morocco	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
Nepal	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1
Netherlands	2	3	6	2	2	3	3	3	1	1	10
New Zealand	2	3	1	3	2	–	–	–	–	–	5
Nigeria	6	6	4	7	8	6	4	5	4	4	10
North Korea	–	8	7	–	4	5	6	3	–	3	7
Pakistan	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
Paraguay	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	1	–	–	3
Peru	1	4	2	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	4
Philippines	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	1
Poland	3	3	2	2	2	4	4	6	3	5	10
Portugal	–	–	–	–	–	3	4	5	5	5	5
Puerto Rico	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	3	3	3
Qatar	–	–	1	1	–	–	1	1	–	–	4
ROC	URS	EUN	RUS						3	AIN	1
Romania	–	4	5	3	4	4	3	5	4	5	9
Russia	URS	EUN	4	3	6	5	5	3	ROC		6
Saudi Arabia	–	1	–	–	1	–	–	–	1	–	3
Senegal	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1	1	3
Serbia	YUG	IOP	SCG			1	2	1	3	1	5
Serbia and Montenegro	YUG	IOP	3	2	3	Dissolved					3
Singapore	–	–	1	2	4	6	6	5	4	3	8
Slovakia	TCH		1	–	–	1	–	3	3	1	5
Slovenia	YUG	1	–	–	–	1	1	1	3	3	6
South Africa	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
South Korea	7	8	8	8	9	6	7	6	6	6	10
Soviet Union	5	EUN	Dissolved								1
Spain	–	4	–	–	1	5	5	3	3	2	7
Sudan	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1
Sweden	4	6	7	6	3	3	3	5	5	6	10
Switzerland	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	2
Syria	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1	–	2
Thailand	–	–	–	1	1	1	1	3	2	3	7
Togo	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	1	–	2
Trinidad and Tobago	–	–	1	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	2
Tunisia	4	3	1	1	2	–	–	1	2	–	7
Turkey	–	–	–	–	–	2	2	2	–	1	4
Turkmenistan	–	–	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	2
Uganda	–	1	3	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	3
Ukraine	–	–	–	1	–	3	4	2	3	3	6
Unified Team	URS	6	Dissolved								1
United States	3	5	6	8	7	4	4	6	6	4	10
Uzbekistan	URS	EUN	–	–	1	–	–	1	–	–	2
Vanuatu	–	–	–	–	–	1	2	1	1	1	5
Venezuela	2	–	1	2	2	1	1	1	–	–	7
Vietnam	–	–	–	–	1	1	–	–	–	–	2
West Germany	6	GER									1
Yugoslavia	5	Dissolved									1
Nations	41	48	51	48	50	56	57	56	57	60
Athletes	129	159	166	171	172	171	174	172	173	175
Year	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	24

Winners

Further information: List of Olympic medalists in table tennis

Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988. Since then, athletes from China have been very successful, winning many medals, especially gold ones. They have won 66 medals in total and 37 gold medals out of 42 possible. They missed winning at least one medal only once, in the first men's singles event in 1988.