The Chinese team dominated the competition, following their sweep of the gold medals in table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

[1] Fourth-ranked Timo Boll of Germany, a challenger for the men's singles title, was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a back injury.

When a case of the strain was found in the body of a seventeen-year-old schoolboy in Yokohama, where the championships were taking place, the event's organisers implemented new measures to stop the flu spreading.

[2] Thermographic exam cameras were installed at the player entrances of Yokohama Arena, with the intention of sending anyone with unusually high body temperatures for medical assistance.

[2] Participants from Mexico, the most severely affected country taking part in the championships, were placed in quarantine and given thermometers to check their temperature regularly.