There are four events on the Olympic program as the men and women each compete in singles and team events.

The singles events are contested in a single elimination tournament.  The team event is composed of best-of-five matches with each team featuring three players competing in singles and doubles matches.

Table Tennis is one of seven sports taking place at ExCeL (Exhibition Centre London), one of Europe's largest and most versatile exhibition spaces.

London 2012 Storylines:
China's dominance in the sport does not appear to be waning.  The country that has won 41 Olympic table tennis medals (24 more than the next most successful nation) swept the gold and silver medals in all five events (men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, mixed doubles) at the 2011 World Championships.  The strength of the team is such that reigning Olympic and World medallists are not guaranteed to be competing in London 2012.  In an effort to curb this dominance, each country is now limited to two entries in each singles event, preventing a Chinese sweep of either singles podium.

Canada's Outlook:
Canada has never won an Olympic table tennis medal.  The country's best ever result was recorded by Johnny Huang, who finished fifth in Atlanta 1996.

The top-ranked man in Canada is Pradeeban Peter-Paul, who would be making his second Olympic appearance in London 2012 after losing his opening match in Beijing 2008.

The top-ranked woman in Canada is Mo Zhang.  She will be making her second Olympic appearance in London 2012 thanks to her gold medal performance at the Pan Am Games.  She advanced from the preliminaries in Beijing 2008 but lost in the first round.

Other International Athletes to Follow:

MEN

Wang Hao – China

• After winning the World singles title in 2009 he claimed the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships
• Won silver medals in the singles event in both of his Olympic appearances in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008

• A two-time World Cup champion and four-time European champion in singles who helped his team to the silver medal in Beijing 2008; won his first world championship singles medal (a bronze) in 2011
• An aggressive player, he is one of the few players who stands close to the table and is able to beat the Chinese

• The 2011 World silver medallist in singles would be making her Olympic debut in London 2012
• Won gold in doubles at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships

• Led Singapore to a silver medal in the team event in Beijing 2008, her country's first Olympic medal since 1960 and its first since it became an independent nation in 1965.
• A consistent quarter-finalist in singles, she achieved this in Beijing 2008 and at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships, each time losing to an eventual finalist