BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The International Table Tennis Federation announced Thursday the launch of ITTF Doubles World Cup in 2027, bringing together the men's, women's and mixed doubles events on the world stage.

It means that every event in Los Angeles 2028 Olympic table tennis program now has an equivalent on the World Cup stage, with the ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup covering the singles events, as well as the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup.

At LA28, men's doubles and women's doubles will return to the Olympic program for the first time since Athens 2004, joining mixed doubles, introduced at Tokyo 2020, to complete a full doubles lineup.

"Doubles is returning to the Olympic Games, and the ITTF Doubles World Cup is how we rise to meet that moment, giving the world's best doubles players the World Cup stage they deserve, and building the pathway to Los Angeles," ITTF president Petra Sorling said.

The Men's and Women's World Cup returned in 2024, while the Mixed Team World Cup was launched in 2023. ■