Olympic table tennis first included a team event in 2008.
The team competitions debuted at the Beijing Olympics, replacing the doubles events that had been part of the Olympic programme. Men’s and women’s team tournaments were played alongside men’s and women’s singles.
The new format used teams of three players. A tie included singles matches and a doubles match, creating a competition that rewarded both individual strength and team depth. China won both team gold medals at the inaugural Olympic team-event tournament.
Doubles did not disappear from Olympic table tennis permanently. Mixed doubles was later added to the programme at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021. The introduction of team events in 2008 was therefore a distinct change from the later return of a doubles discipline.