Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Alexis Lebrun or Simon Gauzy at the Olympic Games: we explain the table tennis selection procedures

Alexis Lebrun pas encore assuré de disputer le tournoi simple aux Jeux Olympiques. Midi Libre – DORIAN CAYUELA

Les critères de sélection pour les Jeux Olympiques sont très précis. Si les frères Lebrun et le Toulousain Simon Gauzy seront a priori de la partie tous les trois, tous ne pourront pas disputer l’épreuve de simple. Explications.

This is the question of the moment: who from Montpellier Alexis Lebrun or from Toulouse Simon Gauzy to accompany Félix Lebrun in the singles tournament of the Olympic Games?

First, it is necessary to explain the selection criteria. And that on June 21, the French Table Tennis Federation will present its choices to the Consultative Commission for Olympic Selection (CCSO) and the Executive Office of the French National Olympic Sports Committee (CNOSF). The latter will validate them, or not (unlikely scenario). A process followed by all federations of all sports.

Also read: French table tennis championships: at the Lebrun home, Félix is ​​always chasing Alexis

Singles events

Each team qualified for the team event has two quotas for the single tournament. France will therefore field two names for the men's event and the women's event. Theoretically, these are the two best ranked in the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) rankings.

Félix Lebrun (17 years old), currently 5th in the world, should finish number 1 in France by June 18, date on which the world ranking will be taken into account for the list of qualified s.

Currently, his big brother Alexis (20 years old) ranks 21st. Simon Gauzy is 25th. The best of the two ranked on June 18 will accompany Félix.

In ping, as in tennis, the world ranking is decided on the defense of points acquired the previous year. A regulation, at the moment T, to the disadvantage of Montpellier.

Indeed, the current dynamic is playing out for Gauzy, recent quarter-finalist in Incheon (South Korea). The latter is full of points. For his part, Alexis Lebrun suffered from his excellent month of April 2023 (quarter-final in Xinxiang and semi-final in Macau) and saw the Toulouse player move closer in the ranking.

In this race for points, the next deadlines promise to be decisive for the two French people: World Cup in Macau ( April 15-21), Grand Smash of Saudi Arabia (May 1-11), Chongqing Champions (May 27 & June 2) and WTT Star Contender in Ljubljana (11-16 June).

Team events

Each qualified selection must include three athletes in the women's category and the men's category, without obligation to take the world ranking into account. A substitute will be in the stands in the event of an injury.

The format of the event is different from the last world championships in Busan. Each confrontation between two nations will start with a double. The singles matches will follow.

The first team with three matches won will qualify for the next round. A table tennis player cannot play more than two matches during the confrontation, knowing that the double is counted as one match.

Mixed doubles

The particularity of mixed doubles is that the female athlete and the male athlete must be part of the selection that took part in the team event.

The PDF of the selection criteria and methods.