Mixed doubles


Mixed doubles or mixed pairs is a form of mixed-sex sports that consists of teams of one man and one woman. This variation of competition is prominent in curling and racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and badminton, as well as gymnastics, figure skating and card games such as contract bridge.

Mixed doubles

Mixed doubles has a long history in tennis. The social benefits of mixed tennis were recognised in England in the late 1800s, with it serving as a social outing for married couples and a way for single men and women to build a relationship.
Thiis variant appeared at the United States National Championships in 1892, followed by the French Championships in 1902, Wimbledon in 1913, and the Australian Open in 1922. It made an early appearance at the second Summer Olympics in 1900 though it was dropped from the programme in the 1920s and did not reappear until the 2012 London Olympics. The Hopman Cup, held from 1989 to 2019, featured a mixed doubles match as the third rubber of each tie.
Mixed doubles has featured at the World Table Tennis Championships since its first edition in 1926, although this did not gain Olympic status until 2020.
The 1899 All England Open Badminton Championships saw the first major mixed doubles badminton event. The Summer Olympics features a mixed doubles badminton event since 1996.
The concept was a late addition to the sport of curling, with the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship being first held in 2008 and the 2018 Winter Olympics being the first time it was given Olympic status.

Mixed pairs

shares a history with paired dancing. The form of skating made its debut at both the Winter Olympics and World Figure Skating Championships in 1908.
The World Bridge Championships debuted a mixed pairs competition at its second edition in 1966.