The Indian men’s and women’s table tennis teams, on Monday, qualified for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be held in July-August later this year.
Both the Indian teams qualified on the basis of being the highest-ranked teams in the world, who were yet to qualify for the quadrennial event.
“In the women’s event, India, Poland, Sweden, and Thailand have earned their places in the Paris 2024 Olympics,” a statement from the International Table Tennis Federation read.
“Meanwhile, on the men’s front, Croatia, India, and Slovenia have secured their spots, injecting an extra dose of adrenaline into the competition,” it added.
The 2024 Paris Games will also mark India’s first appearance in table tennis team events at the Olympics since it was introduced into the program during the 2008 Beijing Games.
“India qualifies for the team event at the Olympics. Something I have wanted to do for a long time,” tweeted Indian veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, who will compete at his fifth Olympics in Paris.
The team qualification also means that India will also have two representations each in both men’s and women’s singles in Paris, as all qualified teams are allocated two quota places in the individual events.
Earlier, the Indian men’s and women’s team had missed out on direct qualification quota to the Paris Olympics as both teams crashed out in the Round of 16 at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan last month.
The display at the global event, however, helped the Indian teams to better their ranking points and qualify via the world ranking reallocation slot.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!