Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988 at the Seoul Summer Games.
The Seoul program featured men’s and women’s singles and doubles competitions. South Korea’s Yoo Nam-kyu won the first men’s singles gold medal, while China’s Chen Jing won the first women’s singles gold medal.
Table tennis had appeared earlier as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Munich and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but demonstration status did not make it part of the official medal program. The 1988 Games therefore marked its recognized Olympic debut.
The Olympic format later changed. Doubles was replaced by team events at the 2008 Beijing Games, and mixed doubles was added at the 2020 Tokyo Games, held in 2021. Singles and team events remain central to the Olympic competition.