Other teams include Russia-United States, China-Qatar and France-Japan for the doubles event sponsored by Monaco-based Peace and Port.

Iran was initially included among the 10 teams but was withdrawn without explanation.

Host Qatar has been targeting sports to showcase its global aspirations. The Gulf nation has successfully bid for football’s 2022 World Cup and will make a new Olympics bid.

Ian Marshall, a spokesman for the International Table Tennis Federation, said the tournament had already reaped dividends as the North and South Koreans spent the past two days together, including at a welcome dinner on Monday.

“They met Monday morning and met with local children,” Marshall said. “They talked to each other and were the very best of friends which is what we are trying to achieve here.”

The tournament also fits into Qatar’s efforts to raise its diplomatic profile. It already has hosted talks to ease conflicts in Lebanon and Sudan’s Darfur region, and is leading Arab League efforts to end the bloodshed in Syria.

Now, it hopes table tennis can ease tensions between some of the world’s greatest rivals.

India and Pakistan have come close to war several times, especially over the disputed Kashmir region. The two Koreas have been in a technical state of war since the 1950s and territorial disputes still flare, including two military attacks on South Korea last year. Meanwhile, relations between Pakistan and America have soured over US drone attacks and the secret mission that killed Osama Bin Laden.

And then there are lingering suspicions between the US and China over the latter’s growing economic clout.

Relations between the two world powers have improved markedly, though, from 40 years ago when “pingpong diplomacy” was first employed. It was then that nine Americans played against their much stronger rivals on Chinese soil — an event that helped usher in improved relations.