As the year of 2024 is coming to an end, we take a look back towards Table Tennis, which had a fantastic year behind them. Despite 2024 being an Olympic year and most of the star players preparing themselves for the Olympic Games, uncompromising on the fitness aspects and the performance tapering to the mega event, the Table Tennis World Team Championships 2024 were hosted in Busan, South Korea from February 16 and 25. There was another prize to the event that attracted the top players in playing the World Table Tennis team championships. the quarterfinalists of the event would qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. Team Asia Comprising Ma Long, Manika Batra Win Inaugural Waldner Cup, Defeat Team World Featuring Truls Moregardh, Bernadette Szocs to Clinch Table Tennis Title.

In this article we will take a look back and the World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024, the host city, the qualifiers and the eventual winners of the competition.

How were the Hosts Of the World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024 Selected?

Busan was originally set to host the World Table Tennis Championships in 2020. But the competition was postponed due to the Covid 19 breakout and despite it being originally scheduled to be hosted in 2021, the event was eventually cancelled and In May 2021, Busan launched another bid for the 2024 World Championships and won the bid in November 2021.

How Were the Teams Selected For Qualification in World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024?

A total of 40 teams were eligible to be part of the competition. There were several categories for qualification. One spot was confirmed for the host nation. 33 teams were supposed to have qualified from the Continental stage. The continental quota allocation is the following, 4 for Africa, 6 for the Americas, 10 for Asia, 11 for Europe, and 2 for Oceania. As per the decision of the ITTF Council, in Bangkok on 23 August 2023, no Intercontinental Stage will be held in 2023. Instead, the remaining six places were transferred to the five continents.  with the final allocation as per qualifying event or Team World Ranking (TWR) to be confirmed by each continental federation.

Who Were the Teams that Qualified For the World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024?

Men's Team: South Korea, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Madagascar, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Puerto Rico, USA, Cuba, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Iran Singapore, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, France, Germany, Croatia, Portugal, Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, England, Poland, Slovakia, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Austria, Czech Republic, Serbia.

Women's Team: South Korea, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, USA, Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Thailand, India, Iran, Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Germany, Romania, France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Austria, Australia, Czech Republic, Cuba, Croatia, South Africa, Serbia, Ukraine.

How Many Medals Were Available to be Won in the World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024?

A total of eight medals were available for grab in the World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024. Two gold and two silver medals for the winner and runner up for both men's and women's events. While all the semifinalists were to receive a bronze medal if they lost their match in the top four.

Who Won Which Medal in the World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024?

As per expectations, China won the gold medal in the men's team event. Chinese legend Ma Long, being the defending Olympic champion was part of the team event alongside the likes of Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, the former eventually winning the gold medal in the Paris Olympics 2024. They defeated France in the final we had young prodigies Lebrun brother, Felix and Alexis in their team. South Korea and Chinese Taipei shared the bronze medal.

In Women's Team event too, it was the same. China won the gold medal with their team having young prodigy Sun Yingsha and seasoned veteran Chen Meng. Despite facing a star-studded team like Japan with the likes of Hina Hayata, Miwa Ito and Miwa Harimoto in it, China stood their ground and like they have been doing it in the past, clinched the gold medal once again. South Korea and Hong Kong shared the bronze medal. Paris Olympics 2024: Table Tennis Legend Ma Long Makes History for China With His Sixth Olympic Gold Medal.

Who Were the Team Members of the Medalist Teams in the World Table Tennis Team Championships 2024?

Men's Events:

China (Gold Medalists): Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun,Lin Gaoyuan.

France (Silver Medalists): Félix Lebrun, Alexis Lebrun, Simon Gauzy, Jules Rolland, Lilian Bardet.

South Korea (Bronze Medallists): Jang Woo-jin, Lim Jong-hoon, Lee Sang-su, An Jae-hyun, Park Gyu-hyeon.

Chinese Taipei (Bronze Medallists): Lin Yun-ju, Kao Cheng-jui, Chuang Chih-yuan, Feng Yi-hsin, Huang Yan-cheng.

Women' Events: 

China (Gold Medalists): Sun Yingsha, Wang Yidi, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong

Japan (Silver Medallists): Hina Hayata,Mima Ito, Miwa Harimoto, Miu Hirano, Miyuu Kihara

France (Bronze Medallists): Jia Nan Yuan, Prithika Pavade, Camille Lutz, Audrey Zarif, Charlotte Lutz

Hong Kong (Bronze Medallists):  Zhu Chengzhu, Doo Hoi Kem, Lam Yee Lok, Ng Wing Lam, Lee Ho Ching

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2024 01:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).