To permit athletes from various countries to have a chance to participate, the International Table Tennis Association has limited the number of players that each country may send to the Olympics to a maximum of three men and two women. That decision has kept off the roster several players who rank in the top twenty worldwide but who play for strong teams such as Sweden's and Mainland China's.
國際桌球總會為了讓各國選手都有參加奧運的機會，限定每個國家最多只能有男子單打三人、女子單打二人赴會，使得實力甚強的瑞典、中國大陸，有許多世界排名前廿名的好手，被摒除在名單之外。