Table Tennis

What is table tennis?

Table tennis is the indoor racquet sport of extreme spin and reaction speed — games to 11, matches best of five or seven — played by more people than any racquet sport on Earth and contested at the Olympics since 1988. The ITTF governs; China rules.^[1] [2]

How does the sport work?

The professional game runs on World Table Tennis (WTT), the ITTF's tour — Grand Smashes atop Champions and Star Contender events — feeding the weekly ITTF world rankings that seed everything, with the Worlds and Olympics above. National associations select teams; every match and ranking week is archived.^[2] [3]

Where is table tennis popular?

China's dynasty — Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha the reigning world champions atop an unmatched system — with Japan, South Korea, Germany, Sweden (Truls Möregårdh's generation), France's Lebrun brothers and Brazil's Hugo Calderano cracking the elite; the sport is a daily game across Asia and Europe.^[2] [4]

What are the most important competitions?

• The Olympics and the World Championships — the summit pair.^[2]
• WTT Grand Smashes and the season Finals — the tour's majors.^[3]
• The World Cup events and continental championships.^[2]
• League play — Germany's Bundesliga, China's Super League, Japan's T.League.^[4]

How is table tennis awarded?

• ITTF world rankings — weekly, points-based, the sport's objective ladder.^[3]
• World, Olympic and World Cup titles — and team crowns at the World Team Championships.^[2]
• WTT titles and Grand Smash runs on the professional tour.^[3]
• National-team selection — in China itself a legendary credential.^[4]