Paris 2024 Paralympics | Programme, favourites... Everything you need to know about the Para table tennis

What adaptations are required?

When serving for players in wheelchairs: backspin is forbidden (the ball returns towards the net), as is the use of the short sides of the table.

sides of the table. In doubles, as in tennis doubles, wheelchair players are not obliged to take turns playing the ball. They are also allowed to adapt their grip on the racket. Players with gripping difficulties can use an orthosis to fix the racket to their hand or use a strap if they cannot hold the handle on their own.

For some standing players, the use of a cane or crutch may be permitted under the rules, particularly in classes 6 to 8. In all categories where the handicap has an impact on movement, particularly for players in wheelchairs, the athletes stay very close to the table and so the ball is caught early. This is a difficult technique to master, requiring speed, reflexes and excellent anticipation.

There is a technical stroke specific to Para table tennis. Players in classes 1 and 2 sometimes use an unstoppable weapon: the retro candle. The player raises the ball very high, which falls just behind the net and returns to his court without the opponent having been able to touch it. Difficult to execute, but decisive!

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