Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: Players must allow a ball played toward them to bounce once on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side. A point is scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing body for all national table tennis associations. The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regulations and seeking technological improvement for the sport of table tennis. The ITTF is responsible for the organization of numerous international competitions, including the World Table Tennis Championships that has continued since 1926.
Ryu Seung-min is a Korean table tennis player who won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the men's singles competition. His opponent was Wang Hao, a top-seeded player from Chinese national team. Along the way, he defeated 1992 Olympic champion Jan-Ove Waldner with 4–1. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics he was part of the South Korean team that won the bronze and silver medals respectively. Ryu is ranked twenty-fifth in the world as of July 2013. In 2016, Ryu became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he was a member and Chair of the Athletes' Commission of the South Korean National Olympic Committee from 2016 to 2019. Since 2018, he counts among the ITTF Foundation Ambassadors, promoting sport for development and peace.
Mouma Das is an Indian table tennis player. Born and brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal, she has represented India in international events since the early 2000s. Das has won multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games including a gold in the Women's Team Competition in 2018. She was awarded the Arjuna Award, India's second highest sporting honour in 2013 for her contributions to the sport.
The World Table Tennis Championships are table tennis competitions sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The World Championships have been held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Five individual events, which include men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's double and mixed doubles, are currently held in odd numbered years. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in even numbered years.
The ITTF World Youth Championships is an annual table tennis competition for juniors under 19 and under 15. From 2003 to 2019, the World Junior Table Tennis Championships was held for juniors under 18. The ITTF changed the U18 age group into U19 in 2020, and implemented the new World Youth Championships for U19 and U15 in 2021. The World Youth Championships is currently composed of two team events and five individual events in each of the U19 and U15 age groups.
Lily Ann Zhang is an American table tennis player who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with teammates Ariel Hsing and Erica Wu. She also competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio with teammates Jiaqi Zheng and Jennifer Wu. She is a five time US national champion in women's singles. Zhang has won the US national championship in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019. In 2011, she was a bronze medalist in women's singles and women's team at the Pan American Games and won the women's doubles title at the Qatar Peace and Sport Cup. She is currently a member of the United States National Women's team. She has been ranked as high as #2 in the cadet (U-15) world ranking and #5 in the junior (U-18) world ranking.
The World Para Table Tennis Championships are the world championships for para table tennis where athletes with a disability compete. They are organised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on a four-year rotation with the Paralympic Games.
Hugo Marinho Borges Calderano is a table tennis player from Brazil. In January 2022, he peaked at number 3 in the world rankings, becoming the greatest Americas player of all time.
Fang Bo is a Chinese male table tennis player. In 2002, Fang Bo became a member of the Shandong Luneng table tennis club. In 2009, he joined the China national table tennis first team. In the same year December 2009, he won all four team and individual titles at the 2009 World Junior Championships, becoming the first youth player to accomplish this feat in China. At his peak in 2015, he reached the men's singles final at the World Championships by defeating the second-seeded Xu Xin and the defending champion Zhang Jike. Fang Bo then obtained his first world table tennis champion title in 2016 during the World Team Table Tennis Championships. In 2017, he partnered with Petrissa Solja of the German table tennis team and won bronze in the mixed doubles at the World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany. Fang Bo was ranked fifth in the China National Table Tennis (First) Team after emerging as first runner-up of the 2018 China National Table Tennis Championships. In 2019, Fang Bo successfully led his teammates and Team Tian Jin to win the overall team gold medal in the 2019 China Super League. Concomitantly, Fang Bo represented UMMC at the ETTU Table Tennis Champions League and the team came in second after losing 2:3 to Fakel Gazprom Orenburg in the final leg.
Adriana Yamila Díaz González is a Puerto Rican table tennis player. As of November 2022 she was ranked 3 and 11 in the Table Tennis World Ranking according to the International Table Tennis Federation. Díaz is sponsored by Butterfly and Adidas. Adriana is the sister of the table tennis player, Melanie Díaz, and cousin of Brian Afanador.
Hina Hayata is a Japanese international table tennis player. She is the most successful player on the ITTF Challenge Series since its inception in 2017. Owing to her stature, she is able to generate powerful spins on both wings more so than most female players.
Wang Chuqin is a Chinese table tennis player. He won gold in the men's singles and mixed team events at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also won gold along with teammates Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan at the 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu.
European Para Table Tennis Championships are a biennial sport event for para table tennis players who represent a European country. It is one of the first regional para table tennis championships to be held. France have so far earned the most medals in these championships.
An Jae-hyun is a South Korean table tennis player.
The 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships are scheduled to be held in Busan, South Korea from 16 to 25 February 2024. Quarterfinalists of the 2024 World Championships will be qualified to the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships is an annual table tennis tournament regarded as continental championships between juniors and cadets. The Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships (AJCTTC) is one of the most prestigious events of the world junior table tennis circuit. It will be held under the supervision of the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Cadet Championships was added in 1986 (2nd). The table below gives an overview of all host cities and countries of the Asia Junior Championships.
The 2021 World Table Tennis Championships was held in Houston, United States from 23 to 29 November. It was the 56th edition of the championships and the first time the competition was held in the United States. Houston became the host by beating Agadir, Morocco in 2019.
The 2021 ITTF World Youth Championships were held in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, from 2 to 8 December 2021. It was the first edition of the ITTF World Youth Championships, which replaced the World Junior Championships in the ITTF calendar.
Including the parasport events, there was a nominal total of 192 quota places available for table tennis at the 2022 Commonwealth Games; 96 each for men and women.
China 
Japan 
France 
Kazakhstan 
Egypt 
Hungary 
Slovakia 
South Korea 
Australia 
Poland 
Belgium 
Portugal 
Spain 
Romania 
Chinese Taipei 
Germany 
India 
Sweden