Los Angeles 2028 Olympic table tennis program adjustment, Ito called it "more interesting"

On the 11th local time, Japanese star Misei Ito (24 years old), who participated in three table tennis events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and won a gold, silver and bronze medal, was interviewed by the Japanese media "Sports News". She welcomed the changes to the table tennis programme at Los Angeles 2028, saying it "added fun". The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided on the implementation of the Olympic Games on the 9th (10th Japan time). Among them, table tennis canceled the men's and women's teams and adopted mixed teams. The men's and women's doubles returned to the Olympic family, and the possibility of a single event (singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and mixed team) for the first time in the table tennis world has also emerged.

Japanese star Misei Ito

Ito expressed surprise and concern at the tremendous changes in the table tennis competition at the Olympic Games. It took a night from the IOC's decision: "I didn't expect the project to be added or changed. To be honest, I was surprised." She candidly expressed her feelings, "It looks funny. What kind of project is it? The number of people who care about table tennis will also increase. Wouldn't it be nice to do something new? ”。

At the Los Angeles Olympics, the men's and women's teams were excluded and the mixed team and men's and women's doubles were added. Combined with the men's and women's singles and mixed doubles, the competition has increased by one compared with the past, with a total of 6 events. There are also many opaque places such as maintaining three men and three women for each team, but the possibility of one person playing in four events at the same time can also be considered. At the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, Ito finished on the podium in three events: mixed doubles (gold medal), women's team (silver medal), and women's singles (bronze medal). Drawing on her experience of playing 13 matches in 13 days, she said: "It's hard work [in three roles], so I'm very concerned about what happens during that period. ”

Ito has not yet decided whether to target the Los Angeles Olympics, and "really doesn't think about the future at all." Now her goal is to challenge for a women's singles medal at the World Table Tennis Championships (Doha), which starts in May, but she also shows her interest in the Olympic program, "because the number of events has increased, and the fun has increased, and I honestly want to."

Ito, who has won three women's doubles medals at the World Championships with Hina Hayata, also expressed her expectation that the two will be together again at the World Table Tennis Championships. According to Japanese media, the change of the Olympic table tennis program may also become one of the turning points for Ito Mimato in deciding to move forward in the future.