In a proud moment for Bharat, men’s and women’s teams scripted history as they qualified for the Olympics for the first time based on their world rankings. While the men’s team is currently ranked 15th, the women are on 13th spot.
After the conclusion of the World Team Championships Finals in Busan last month, which served as the last qualifying event for the Paris Olympics, seven spots in the team events remained, which have been awarded to sides based on their rankings.
A total of 16 teams will be taking part in the men’s and women’s events respectively.
This marks a significant milestone for Bharatiya table tennis history, as it will be the first time the nation competes in the team event at the Olympics since its inception at the Beijing 2008 Games. Both the Bharatiya teams had missed Olympic berths at the ITTF World Team Championships Finals after making pre-quarterfinals exits.
“Finally..!! India qualifies for the team event at the Olympics! Something I have wanted for a long long time! This one is truly special, despite it being my fifth appearance at the Olympics! Kudos to our Women’s Team who also secure a historical quota!” veteran Sharath Kamal tweeted.