Paris 2024 has nearly got a “full set” of qualification procedures, and Table Tennis is the latest sport to release its system. Football has also received an update.
Table Tennis
Table Tennis maintains the same programme from 2020: a singles event for both genders, a team event for both genders, and a mixed doubles event. The quotas are also unchanged, with 86 men and 86 women. Each country can have two athletes per singles event, and one team of three or mixed doubles pairing in the other events. In total, this represents three men and three women as a maximum over the programme. Out of the 86 quota spots per gender, three are reserved for the hosts and one for universality places.
For the team event, there will be sixteen teams per gender. Six teams, including one from Europe, will qualify throug a continental qualification event (dates and locations TBC), while the quarter-finalists from the 2024 World Teams Championships (16-25 February 2024, Busan, KOR) will also snag a quota. The highest ranked team not already qualified in the 2024 World Team Ranking (published immediately at the end of the WTC) will also qualify. Finally, the host nation will also qualify a place (unless already qualified in which the place will be reallocated to the ranking).
For the mixed doubles, again there will be sixteen pairs. Again, six will qualify from continental qualification events (including one from Europe), while the semifinalists at a Designated Qualification Event (exact dates and locations TBC) at March or April 2024 will also get a place. The five highest ranked pairs in the Mixed Doubles Ranking of 7 May 2024 will also get a place, as will the hosts France (if they have already qualified a sixth pair will get the spot). A Mixed Doubles member must also be part of the Team if an NOC qualifies athletes in both the Mixed Doubles and the Team event for the relevant gender.
For the singles event, the sixteen teams will see their two highest members based on the World Ranking of 18 June 2024 qualify a place, for a total of thirty-two. Twenty-two places will be won by continent, by Continental Qualification Events (exact dates and locations TBC) that will be held in early May 2024, including six from Europe. Mixed Doubles athletes will also be able to enter, and then fifteen (less the Mixed Doubles athletes) will qualify through the Singles World Ranking of 18 June 2024. Finally, one universality place will be added.
This system is very similar to 2020, where we qualified two men’s singles athletes and one women’s singles athletes, sneaking in by world ranking. A repeat of that would be a realistic target in 2024.
Football
Included for completion’s sake, football has updated its system to include the Asian qualifiers and the Women’s South American qualifiers. Still no news on Europe.
These updates mean that only Athletics, Aquatics, and BMX Freestyle (a discipline of Cycling) are left.
GB Games 