India’s six-member table tennis squad is all set to represent the nation at the Paris Olympics in 2024. This is the first time India is participating in the team events at the Paris Games.
India’s flag bearer Sharath Kamal and top player Manika Batra will be leading the respective teams.
Sharath Kamal is the most experienced T.T. player at the Olympics. He’ll be making his fifth appearance at the games., which will be his final one. On the other hand, in the women’s squad, Manika Batra is the most accomplished player, with three Olympic appearances to her name.
India has never won a medal in the sport at the Olympics. After the addition of the men’s team event, there’s hope for a medal this time.
Venue for Table Tennis at the Paris Olympics 2024
The South Paris Arena, also known as the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, will be the venue for table tennis at the 2024 Olympics. The exhibition and convention centre is the most visited in France. This venue will also host handball, volleyball, and weightlifting.
Indian Table Tennis Squad for the Paris Olympics
The men’s team will include India’s top-ranked men’s singles table tennis players, Sharath Kamal (world No. 40), Manav Thakkar (world No. 62), and national champion Harmeet Desai (63rd).
Manika Batra, ranked 24th, Sreeja Akula, ranked 41st, and Archana Kamath, ranked 103rd, will compete in the women’s team event.
Ayhika Mukherjee and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan are the reserves for the women’s and men’s teams, respectively. Both Sathiyan and Ayhika will visit Paris. But they won’t stay at the Games Village. They will be called upon in the event of an injury.
Table tennis events at the Paris Olympics
At these Games, 172 table tennis players, split evenly between men and women, will compete in five medal events (two per gender and one mixed). The competition will include men’s singles, men’s teams, women’s singles, women’s teams, and mixed doubles.
