National titles on the line in Sheffield

Britain’s leading Para table tennis players will be in action this weekend at the 2023 Michael Hawkesworth British Para Table Tennis National Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. The two-day event is being held for the first time since 2019 due to the pandemic and provides up-and-coming young and inexperienced players with the opportunity to take on World, European and Commonwealth champions and Paralympic medallists for the chance to be crowned National champion.

“The National Championships is a very important event for our athletes,” said BPTT Performance Director Gorazd Vecko MBE, “and it is great to have them back after four years and taking place at the home of British Para Table Tennis in Sheffield. For some of the younger players it will be their first experience of a National Championships and provide a great opportunity to compete against our Performance Squad, most of whom are ranked in the top 10 in the world in their class.”

The championships coincide with World Table Tennis Day on Sunday, April 23 which this year features the strapline ‘Think Sustainably, Act Now’ encouraging people to participate in ‘making the world better, stronger and more sustainable through table tennis’. In support of this aim the programme for the British Para Table Tennis Michael Hawkesworth National Championships will only be available in a digital format via the BPTT website and not in print form.

“It is fitting that our National Championships are taking place on World Table Tennis Day,” said BPTT Chairman Karen Tonge OBE, “and we are delighted to be part of its sustainability message. British Para Table Tennis has made a conscious effort over the last few years to be more sustainable; most of our board and committee meetings are now held online to reduce travel, the lights in the training hall are dimmed in between sessions and players are encouraged to use reusable water bottles for training and competitions. They are all small things that can hopefully make a difference.”

The 2023 Michael Hawkesworth British Para Table Tennis National Championships will take place at the English Institute of Sport, Coleridge Road, Sheffield S9 5DA from 09:00-18:00 on Saturday, April 22 and 10:00-15:00 on Sunday, April 23. Entry for spectators is free.