Olympic countdown: Table tennis, China's fiefdom

New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) A total of 172 players from 24 countries will compete in the table tennis competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games from July 24-August 6.A late entrant into the Olympic Games, table tennis has been a regular on the roster since 1988 and has become one of the popular sports on the programme. China has dominated the Olympic Games table tennis competitions, winning 28 out of the 32 gold medals for which competitions have been held. They are expected to dominate in Tokyo too. Here is a look at some numbers from the Olympics table tennis competitions held so far:1988 the only Olympics in which China failed to win a single medal in men's singles. No Chinese player reached the semis8 gold medals in eight editions won by China in women's singles and men's doubles competitions2008 edition in which team competitions were introduced for both men and women instead of doubles events, thus curbing China's domination172 total players would compete in Tokyo5 disciplines in which competition will be held in Tokyo -- men's and women's singles, men and women team competition, and mixed doubles22 players have represented India in 8 Olympics
--IANS bsk/qma