Para Table Tennis

General Rules

Disability Classes

Para-Table Tennis players are classified into eleven classes based on the type of disability. The first five categories are sitting classes, the other five are standing classes and the last one is for the athletes with intellectual disabilities.

 

Class 1

No sitting balance with severely affected playing arm because of polio or spinal cord lesion.

 

Class 2

No sitting balance with less affected playing arm than in Class 1.

 

Class 3

No trunk control but arms are minimally affected by the impairment.

 

Class 4

Fair sitting balance and fully functional hands and arms. Impairment may be due to cerebral palsy or spinal cord lesion.

 

Class 5 

Compete in a wheelchair but have a normal sitting balance, hand and arm function, have a most physical functionality similar to those in a wheelchair.

 

Class 6

Severe impairments in both legs and arms due to various reasons including amputations and the players can hold the racket with their mouths.

 

Class 7

Severe impairments in both legs and arms but less severe than Class 6.

 

Class 8

Moderate impairments of the playing arm or moderately affected legs.

 

Class 9 

Mild impairments of legs or the playing arm or severely affected non[-playing arm like amputation above the elbow.

 

Class 10

Minimal impairments of legs or playing arm like stiff ankle or wrist or athletes with short stature.

 

Class 11

Players with an intellectual disability.

 

Wheelchair Rules

For players playing in a wheelchair, some exceptions are there:-

 

If the ball returns in the direction of the net after touching the receiver’s court, or if the ball comes to rest in the receiver’s court, a let shall be called.

 

In the doubles event, after the service is made by the server and once it is returned by the receiver, either player of the pair may make returns. However, no player from the pair should cross the imaginary center line of the table otherwise the point shall be awarded to the opposite pair.

 

In singles as well as doubles matches, a pair scores a point if: the opponent touches the table before striking the ball (with either hand), the opponent’s foot or footrest touches the floor during the game or if the opponent doesn’t maintain a minimum contact with the seat or cushion or with the back of the thigh at the time of striking the ball.

 

Standing Rules

All the other rules (scoring, etc.) and those for standing classes are similar with that of regular table tennis; there are no exceptions.

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Officials

Referee

He/she is responsible for the entire organization of the para table tennis event.

 

Umpire

He/she controls the match, announces points and makes the call during the match.

 

Assistant Umpire

In international competitions, assistant umpire shares the umpire’s duties, signals out of bound balls and can declare an illegal serve.

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Events

Singles

Men’s Singles or Women’s Singles events

 

Doubles

Men’s Doubles or Women’s Doubles events

 

Mixed Doubles

Pair of one male and one female player each side

 

Team

Team events consist of a group of singles and doubles events.

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Techniques

The playing techniques in Para Table Tennis are same as that in table tennis.

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Participants

Para table tennis is played by men and women as individuals (one player each side), as pairs (two players each side) or as teams.

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Playing Area

The playing space must be not less than 14m long and 7m wide and the flooring should not be of concrete in the international competitions. In wheelchair events, the table length should be at least 40cm from the end line of the table; the playing space is around 8m long and 6m wide and the floor may be of concrete unlike other events.

General History

Table tennis has been a part of every Paralympics since the first Games held in Rome in 1960 and is one of the original eight sports. It did not make its Olympic Games debut almost 30 years later in Seoul 1988.

 

Para table tennis competition included singles and doubles events, with a maximum of three classes per gender in each.

 

The first Para Table Tennis World Championships did not take place until well after its introduction to the Paralympics Games and were held in Assen, the Netherlands in 1990.