Olympic table tennis guide

HOW TABLE TENNIS WORKS AT THE OLYMPICS

* There are four table tennis competitions at the Olympic Games - men's singles and teams and women's singles and teams

* Singles matches follow a knockout format. Each match consists of the best four out of seven games to at least 11 points

* The winner must win by a margin of at least two points

* Players have two serves in a row, but when the score reaches 10-all, the serve is alternated each point

* A team match, or contest, consists of four singles matches and one doubles match, with the best of five winning

* Each team consists of three players, and matches end when a team has won three individual games

* There are two stages: a group round robin to determine which eight teams progress, then a knockout phase where those winners play a semi-final format to determine medals

* Each country will only be able to field two men and two women in each singles event, in effect preventing China from winning all medals.