Paris 2024: Can China’s Para table tennis dominance be broken? 

All eyes will again be on the strong China team and who can challenge their prolific medal-winning record when Para table tennis gets underway.

After claiming 16 of the titles at Tokyo 2020, China tops the all-time medal standings with a total tally of 75 gold medals, 30 silver medals and 20 bronze medals. 

The sport’s most decorated Paralympian also comes from the Asian Para table tennis powerhouse, with Zhang Xiaoling winning the most Paralympic Games gold medals. Clinching her first title at Seoul 1988, she continued on to win an additional six gold medals, her last triumph coming at her home Games in Beijing 2008 after two decades of dominance. 

Para table tennis was one of the eight sports when the first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960 – almost 30 years before the sport was introduced to the Olympic Games. It has been part of every edition of the Paralympic Games since, growing from 11 medal events in Rome to almost three times as many in Paris. 

Three years ago, more than 270 athletes battled it out in 31 medal events at Tokyo 2020, 43 players returning home from the Japanese capital with a medal. 

As the sport’s biggest stars return to fight for Paralympic glory in a competition that runs throughout the Games – from 28 August to 8 September – as many as 280 athletes will compete for gold medals in 31 events.  

Located near the Eiffel Tower and Roland-Garros stadium, the South Paris Arena is where the battles for the Para table tennis medals will take place. 

The venue, which will also host goal ball and boccia, is part of the Paris Expo, an exhibition and convention centre that was built more than a century ago, in 1923, to host the Paris Trade Fair. 

Apart from the 11 men’s and 10 women’s singles competitions, there are four doubles classes for men and women as well as two mixed/open doubles events. 

The athletes compete either in a wheelchair or standing, depending on what class they are in. They can also adapt their playing styles to their impairment or use equipment, such as canes. 

Five stories to follow...

Can China continue its dominance? 

China won 16 of the 31 medal events at Tokyo 2020, featuring in 11 singles finals with eight gold medals as a result. 

Feng Panfeng secured his third straight Paralympic singles title in the men’s class 3 three years ago and will aim to make it four consecutive wins in Paris. Yan Shuo, who upgraded his Rio 2016 men’s class 7 bronze to a gold medal at Tokyo, will hope to win again this year as veteran Zhang Bian and up-and-coming Pan Jiamin, who battled it out in an all-Chinese final at Tokyo 2020 with Zhang as the winner, are favourites this year too. 

Australia, France and Poland claimed two gold medals each at Tokyo 2020 and will, along with Republic of Korea, be looking to get closer to the Asian Para table tennis powerhouse in Paris. 

Will six-time champion Partyka bounce back? 

Poland’s 34-year-old superstar Natalia Partyka made history at Beijing 2008 when she became one of two athletes to have competed at the Paralympic and Olympic Games. She reached the top-32 at the London 2012 Olympic Games and has claimed six gold medals in her Paralympic career.

In singles, Partyka has dominated the women’s class 10, claiming four consecutive gold medals between Athens 2004 and Rio 2016, but had to settle for a bronze medal three years ago, eliminated by Australia’s Yang Qian, who ended up claiming the gold medal. The Polish superstar will look to get back on the class 10 throne in Paris, but admits that medals are not everything when it comes to sports. 

“Not everyone will become an Olympic or Paralympic champion and not everyone will win medals," Partyka said. "But this is not the most essential. What counts is the road we, the athletes, take every day.  

“It is a powerful life lesson well worth participating in. The benefits are countless. If on top of that we succeed, it is remarkable.” 

Hosts hungry for revenge 

France has always been a medal contender in the sport and has made it into the top three of the medal table at Rio 2016 as well as at Tokyo 2020.

At Tokyo, the then 17-year-old debutant Lea Ferney made it to the women’s class 11 final and will look to avenge her second place on home soil. Mateo Boheas, 27, also lost his final three years ago, hoping to turn his silver into gold in Paris.

Fabien Lamirault, 44, has claimed two straight class 2 titles and will be the man to beat as European No.1 and world No.2 in the women’s class 5. In front of a passionate home crowd, 26-year-old Games debutant Alexandra Saint-Pierre is another big hope for the host nation. 

Rosenmeier versus Seidenfeld, round two 

Denmark’s Peter Rosenmeier had won two consecutive Paralympic gold medals in the men’s singles class 6 when he faced the then 20-year-old Games debutant Ian Seidenfeld from USA in the Tokyo 2020 final and had to settle for silver.  

Rosenmeier will want to take the title back at Paris 2024. 

Australia aiming high 

At Tokyo 2020 Australia had their most successful Games in Para table tennis since New York 1984 with two women’s gold medals, and are aiming high again this time too. 

Through veteran Lei Li Na, 36, who beat China’s Xiong Guiyang in a 3-2 thriller to win the Tokyo 2020 class 9 gold medal, and Yang Qian, who upset Partyka to take the title in class 10, the Oceania nation were runners-up in the medal table three years ago. In the men’s competition, Ma Lin in class 9 and class 11’s Samuel Philip von Einem also made it to the final and will be looking to improve their results in Paris.