Table tennis

Table tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

competition has been in the Summer Olympic Games

Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...

since 1988

1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...

, with singles and doubles events for both men and women. Athletes from China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 have dominated the sport, winning a total of 41 medals in 24 events, including 20 gold medals.

Events

In 1992 (only), two bronze medals were awarded in each event. Due to China's dominance in the sport the format was changed in 2004 where competitors are divided into two groups such that those in the same country must be in their respective group. This format makes it such that one single country cannot win all three top medals - as have been the case during numerous Olympic tournaments, where China dominated in almost all events and won the vast majority of medals. In 2008, the doubles events were replaced by team events to lessen the emphasis on doubles play.

Event	1988 Table tennis at the 1988 Summer Olympics Table tennis was first included in the Olympic program at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, with four events contested.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...	1992 Table tennis at the 1992 Summer Olympics The table tennis competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics consisted of four events.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:**...	1996 Table tennis at the 1996 Summer Olympics The table tennis competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics consisted of four events.-Medal table:-Medal summary:-Controversy:During the women's singles final match between the People's Republic of China and Chinese Taipei , police arrested two Taiwanese spectators for waving the flag of the Republic...	2000 Table tennis at the 2000 Summer Olympics The table tennis competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics consisted of four events.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...	2004 Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics thumb|rightTable tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Galatsi Olympic Hall with 172 competitors in 4 events.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...	2008 Table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics Table tennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 13 to August 23, at the Peking University Gymnasium. The competition featured the team events for the first time, replacing the doubles events competed in previous games...	2012 Table tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics Table tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London is scheduled to take place from Saturday 28 July to Wednesday 8 August 2012 at ExCeL Exhibition Centre. 172 athletes, 86 men and 86 women, will compete in four events. Table tennis has appeared at the Summer Olympics on six previous occasions...
Men's singles	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Men's doubles	•	•	•	•	•
Men's team						•	•
Women's singles	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Women's doubles	•	•	•	•	•
Women's team						•	•
Events	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Medal table

1	People's Republic of China	20	13	8	41
2	South Korea	3	2	12	17
3	Sweden	1	1	1	3
4	Germany	0	2	1	3
5	North Korea	0	1	2	3
6	Chinese Taipei	0	1	1	2
	France	0	1	1	2
	Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	0	1	1	2
9	Hong Kong	0	1	0	1
	Singapore	0	1	0	1
11	Denmark	0	0	1	1
Total		24	24	28	76

Number of athletes by nation

Nations

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41

48

51

48

50

56

Athletes

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129

159

166

171

172

172