Table Tennis

Table tennis is believed to have been invented by upper-class Victorians in England as an after-dinner indoor version of lawn tennis. What began as a parlor game has evolved into one of the fastest and most widely played sports in the world, with over 40 million competitive players and countless recreational enthusiasts globally.

Today, players use lightweight, hollow plastic balls and rackets made of wood and carbon fiber with rubber coatings. With this equipment and fast reflexes, athletes can smash the ball at speeds exceeding 150 km/h, making table tennis a thrilling and dynamic sport. The sport made its Olympic debut at the Seoul 1988 Games with men's and women's singles and doubles events. At Beijing 2008, the doubles were replaced with men's and women's team events. A mixed doubles event was introduced at Tokyo 2020.

Qatar’s table tennis history is marked by notable milestones. Li Ping became the first Qatari table tennis player to compete at the Olympic Games, representing Qatar at Rio 2016. At London 2012, Aya Majdi made history as the first Qatari woman to compete in table tennis at the Olympic Games. Earlier, Hamad Ali Al-Hamadi represented Qatar at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in the men’s singles event, marking Qatar’s early entry into Olympic table tennis.

Qatar also hosts the prestigious WTT Star Contender Doha, one of the most prominent events on the global table tennis calendar. The tournament consistently attracts elite international athletes, further cementing Qatar’s status as a leading destination for world-class sports.

 Most notably, Doha proudly hosted the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in May 2025 — a landmark event held from May 17 to 25 across two premier venues: Lusail Sports Arena and Qatar University Sports Complex.