File photo of Sharath Kamal© AFP
The Indian men’s and women’s teams on Monday scripted history as they qualified for the Olympics for the first time ever based on their world rankings. After the conclusion of the World Team Championships Finals in Busan last month, which served as the last qualifying event for the Paris Olympics, seven spots in the team events remained, which have been awarded to sides based on their rankings.
“The highest-ranked teams not yet qualified in the latest World Team Ranking booked their ticket to Paris 2024,” ITTF said.
In the women’s event, India, ranked 13, Poland (12), Sweden (15), and Thailand have secured their passage to Paris.
While Croatia (12), India (15), and Slovenia (11) have secured their spots in the men’s team event.
“Finally!!!! India qualifies for the team event at the Olympics! Something I have wanted for a long long time! This one is truly special, despite it being my fifth appearance at the Olympics! Kudos to our Women’s Team who also secure a historical quota!” veteran Sharath Kamal tweeted.
This marks a significant milestone for Indian table tennis history, as it will be the first time the nation competes in the team event at the Olympics since its inception at the Beijing 2008 Games.
Both the Indian teams had missed Olympic berths at the ITTF World Team Championships Finals after making pre-quarterfinals exits.
The men’s table tennis team, led by veteran Sharath were blanked 0-3 by South Korea, while the Manika Batra-led women’s team lost 1-3 to Chinese Taipei.
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