Table tennis at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification explained

This article details the qualifying phase for table tennis at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The competition at these Games will comprise a total of 172 table tennis players coming from their respective NOCs; each may enter up to six athletes, two male and two female athletes in singles events and up to one men's and one women's team in team events.^[1] ^[2] Host nation Brazil has automatically qualified six athletes; a team of three men and women with one each competing in the singles.

The top 22 male and top 22 female players on the International Table Tennis Federation's Olympic ranking list as of May 2016 will be qualified for the singles event at the Games. No nation can have more than two players per gender in the singles at these Games, so some players below the twenty-eighth position are given a qualifying place based on ranking.^[1]

Forty places will be awarded to the table tennis players with a maximum of two per NOC and gender through the following continental qualification tournaments between July 1, 2015 and April 24, 2016: six each from Africa and Latin America, eleven each from Asia and Europe, and three each from North America and Oceania. One invitational place per gender will be allocated by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).^[1]

For the team events, the highest-ranked NOC from each continent that already contains two qualified players for the singles adds a quota place to form a team of three players and thereby secures a direct qualifying place for the Games based on the ITTF Olympic Team Ranking list. The remaining ten teams are allotted to the nine highest-ranked NOCs in any continent and to the host nation Brazil (if not qualified by any means) that have two players qualified for the singles. If less than nine nations, the next best team with a single player secures a place for the Olympics.^[1] ^[2]

Summary

NOC	Men		Women		Total
NOC	width=50		width=50		Total	width=50	width=50	Team
	2	X	2	X	6
	2	X	2	X	6
	1		2		3
	2	X	2	X	6
	1		1		2
	2	X	2	X	6
			1		1
	2		1		3
	1				1
	2				2
	2		2		4
	1				1
	2		2	X	5
			1		1
	1				1
	2	X	2		5
	2	X	2	X	6
	2	X			3
	1				1
	2	X	2	X	6
	1		2		3
	2		2		4
	2		1		3
	2	X	2	X	6
	1				1
			1		1
			1		1
	1		1		2
			2	X	3
	2	X	2		5
			2	X	4
	1				1
			1		1
	2	X	2	X	6
	2	X	2		5
	1		1		2
	1				1
	2		2	X	5
	1		2		3
	1				1
	2		2	X	5
	1		2		3
	1				1
	2	X	2	X	6
	1		1		2
	2	X	2		5
			1		1
	2	X	2	X	6
	1		2		3
			1		1
	1		1		2
	1		1		2
	2	X	2	X	6
	1				1
	1				1
			1		1
Total: 56 NOCs	70	16	70	16	172

Events

†: Athlete qualified for team event only.

Men's singles

width=250	Event !	width=150	Date !	width=150	Venue !	width=50	Places !	width=220	Qualified athletes
	June 12–28, 2015		1
	July 10–26, 2015		1
	September 10–19, 2015		4
African Qualification Tournament	February 16–18, 2016		2
Oceania Qualification Tournament	March 20–24, 2016	Bendigo^[3]	3
Latin American Qualification Tournament	April 1–3, 2016		5
North American Qualification Tournament	April 8–10, 2016		3
European Qualification Tournament	April 12–16, 2016^[4]		11	†
Asian Qualification Tournament	April 13–17, 2016		12	^SA ^SEA ^EA ^MA ^WA †
ITTF World Ranking^[5]	May 5–30, 2016	—	24	† †
Tripartite Commission Invitation	May 30, 2016	—	1
Re-allocation of unused quota	May 15–30, 2016	—	7
Team allocation	May 30, 2016	—	12	† † † † † † † † † † † †
Total			86

Legend:

^EA – Winner from the East Asia zone
^SEA – Winner from the Southeast Asia zone
^SA – Winner from the South Asia zone
^MA – Winner from the Middle Asia zone
^WA – Winner from the West Asia zone

Men's team

Event	Date	Places	Qualified teams
Continental quota	May 30, 2016	6	(Africa) (Asia) (Europe) (Latin America) (North America) (Oceania)
Host NOC	May 30, 2016	1	—
Remaining quota	May 30, 2016	10
Total		16

Continent/Region	Qualifiers	ITTF ranking
Asia	2	1
Europe	2	2
Asia	2	3
Asia	2	4
Europe	2	5
Asia	2	6
Europe	2	7
Europe	2	8
Europe	2	9
Europe	2	10
Asia	2	11
Europe	2	12
Asia	2	15
Asia	2	17
Latin America	2	20
Africa	2	27
Africa	2	32
Asia	2	33
Africa	2	35
Latin America	2	38
North America	2	48
Oceania	2	55

Women's singles

width=250	Event !	width=150	Date !	width=150	Venue !	width=50	Places !	width=220	Qualified athletes
	June 12–28, 2015		1
	July 10–26, 2015		1
	September 10–19, 2015		4
African Qualification Tournament	February 16–18, 2016		2
Oceania Qualification Tournament	March 22–25, 2016		3
Latin American Qualification Tournament	April 1–3, 2016		6
North American Qualification Tournament	April 8–10, 2016		2
European Qualification Tournament	April 12–16, 2016		11	†
Asian Qualification Tournament	April 13–17, 2016		11	^SA ^SEA ^WA ^MA ^EA
ITTF World Ranking	May 5–30, 2016	—	23	†
Tripartite Commission Invitation	May 30, 2016	—	1
Re-allocation of unused quota	May 15–30, 2016	—	7	^[6]
Team allocation	May 30, 2016	—	13	† † † † † † † † † † † † †
Total			86

Legend:

^EA – Winner from the East Asia zone
^SEA – Winner from the Southeast Asia zone
^SA – Winner from the South Asia zone
^MA – Winner from the Middle Asia zone
^WA – Winner from the West Asia zone

Women's team

Event	Date	Places	Qualified teams
Continental quota	May 30, 2016	6	(Africa) (Asia) (Europe) (Latin America) (North America) (Oceania)
Host NOC	May 30, 2016	1	—
Remaining quota	May 30, 2016	10
Total		16

Continent/Region	Qualifiers	ITTF ranking
Asia	2	1
Asia	2	2
Europe	2	3
Asia	2	4
Asia	2	5
Asia	2	6
Asia	2	7
Asia	2	8
Europe	2	9
Europe	2	10
Europe	2	11
Europe	2	12
Europe	2	13
Europe	2	15
Asia	2	21
North America	2	26
Asia	2	29
Latin America	2	30
Africa	2	31
Oceania	2	32
Africa	2	39

External links

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)

Notes and References

News: Rio 2016 – ITTF Table Tennis Qualification System. PDF. ITTF. 17 April 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150424084218/http://www.ittf.com/World_Events/2016OG/Regulations/Rio2016_QS_EN.pdf. 24 April 2015.
News: The Road to Rio de Janeiro, the 2016 Olympic Games, Starts in Baku. ITTF. 25 March 2014. 17 April 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150424085703/http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=34775&Competition_ID=2440&. 24 April 2015.
Web site: ITTF Calendar. International Table Tennis Federation. 23 August 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160602012604/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_calendar/calendar1.asp?Reg=og&WR=&event_type1=&ittf=&s_EVENTS=&s_MONTH=&s_Year=2016&streaming=&Formcal_Sorting=10&Formcal_Sorted=&. 2 June 2016.
News: Halmstad to Stage European Olympic Qualifier: Tuesday 12th to Saturday 16th April. International Table Tennis Federation. 23 March 2016. 24 March 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160602012554/http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=43611&Competition_ID=2631&. 2 June 2016.
News: ITTF Olympic Singles Ranking (for information purposes only). ITTF. April 2016. 18 April 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160419190618/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/olympic_singles_ranking/. 19 April 2016.
News: Galia Dvorak to Compete in Rio, Replaces Injured Carole Grundisch. ITTF. 29 July 2016. 29 July 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817014002/http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=45228&Competition_ID=2440&%2F. 17 August 2016.