When is ping pong in the olympics 2017

Unsurprisingly, many Chinese players at the lower levels choose to leave and represent other , smaller, table tennis nations.

Not Chen. She was perhaps too young — although clearly talented enough — to have participated at London ; Rio came and went with her outside the top three Chinese players.

But she stuck it out, reaching the top of the world rankings in and then, after the sport's return from 's pandemic-enforced hiatus, won both the ITTF Finals and Women's World Cup.

Now, she gets her chance to write her own chapter in China's Olympic table tennis dominance. It will be no easy feat following in the footsteps of the likes of Ding Ning and Li , who each won three golds and a silver over the last two Olympics. Li retired after Rio , while Ding — who has battled a number of injuries in recent seasons — failed to make the team this year.

Ito is a central figure to Japan's squad this summer, as she holds winning records against some Olympic-bound Chinese paddlers. Known for her fast attack and a constantly evolving playing style, the year-old is second in women's singles world ranking, the only non-Chinese athlete in the top five. She played a pivotal role in securing bronze medal for the women's team competition at the Rio Olympics five years ago, becoming the youngest-ever Olympic table tennis medallist. Fans will also be looking for her mixed doubles match, where Ito and her compatriot Jun Mizutani hope to make history as the first-ever champion of mixed doubles.

Aruna became the first African to reach the Olympic quarter-finals after defeating former world number one German paddler Timo Boll at the Rio Games This year, the year-old will be looking to get closer to the finals at his third Olympic appearance.

He is also known for his philanthropic work and contributions outside of the court, often donating table tennis equipment to Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, and encouraging aspiring Nigerian athletes to pursue their dreams. The winner can decide to either serve the ball, receive the ball or pick which side of the table to start on. In singles competition, the server can serve the ball to any part of the table. In doubles, the serve must travel diagonally across the table.

Once one player reaches 11 points, that player wins a game. If a game is tied at 10 points apiece, the game continues until one player goes ahead by two points. To win the match, a player must win four games, making each match a seven-game series. Doubles matches are a best-of-five series, with the victor only needing to win three games.