LA Olympics 2028: IOC introduces new mixed team event for table tennis

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Wednesday, announced the introduction of a new mixed team event for table tennis at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The addition means that the Olympic table tennis programme will now feature men’s and women’s singles, the return of men’s and women’s doubles, mixed doubles, and, for the first time ever at the Summer Games, the mixed event.

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) President Petra Sorling expressed excitement regarding the decision and said, “This landmark decision by the IOC Executive Board builds on the incredible momentum table tennis is experiencing and is a testament to its growing universal appeal.”

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“After the resounding success of table tennis at Paris 2024, the introduction of the Mixed Team event in Los Angeles marks another historic milestone, fully aligned with our vision of a dynamic, inclusive future for our sport,” she added.

The mixed team event was first successfully launched at the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup held in Chengdu, China, in December 2023. During that tournament, the encounters began with a mixed doubles match before two singles rubbers (women followed by men). If necessary, women’s and men’s doubles rubbers took place, with the order of the last two rubbers determined by the lower-ranked team’s captain.

Table tennis first appeared in the Olympic Games at Seoul 1988 with four events: men’s and women’s singles, and doubles. The programme evolved at Beijing 2008, when team events replaced doubles. It remained with four events until Rio 2016. At Tokyo 2020, mixed doubles made its debut.