Para table tennis will be held from August 29 to September 7, and should once again bring in many medals.
Para table tennis is a historic discipline of the Paralympic Games, having entered the Paralympic programme at the very first Games in 1960. Until 1976 there were only wheelchair competitions, before diversifying. Today, eleven para table tennis competitions take place during the Games. It is one of the few sports to have become Paralympic before entering the Olympic programme and it is also one of the sports with the most athletes involved, as all disabilities are represented in the various competitions.
The rules of para table tennis are generally the same as those of table tennis, with a few adaptations. First of all, players can adapt the handle of the racket to have a better grip, or fix the racket to the hand using an orthosis or adhesive tape. Similarly, players in classes 6 to 8 can use a crutch if necessary to help them move around. Finally, for classes of wheelchair players, the backspin effect is prohibited on the serve as well as the use of the short sides of the table. There is also no obligation for wheelchair doubles to hit the ball in turns.
France is the fourth country to have won the most medals in para table tennis, with 119 medals for 32 titles. Its delegation in Paris is once again important with around twenty players present, and real chances of medals.
Para table tennis classifications
Eleven different classifications are present in the Paralympic program for para table tennis:
- Classes 1 to 5: Wheelchair players. The lower the number, the greater the disability. Class 1 and 2 players also have a disability in an upper limb.
- Classes 6 to 10: table tennis players playing standing up. As with many classifications, the number is smaller as the physical condition is significant.
- Class 11: Players with an intellectual or psychological disability.
The table tennis program
Table tennis will take place from August 29 to September 7 at the Arena Paris Sud 4, with medals awarded on the first day, and titles starting on August 30.