Today marks six months to go until the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where Team England’s stars will be looking to #BringItHome.

Taking place from 28 July to 8 August, Birmingham 2022 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the West Midlands on a global stage.

England’s table tennis athletes are stepping up their preparations for the Games with Liam Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall looking to retain their Commonwealth Games doubles title and Tin-Tin Ho looking to shine on the women’s stage.

The Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships at the end of March will be a great opportunity for Team England’s athletes to set the scene and enter Birmingham 2022 with a bang.

Not only are the Games an opportunity for our table tennis athletes to challenge for medals, it’s also a chance to use table tennis to connect communities, create positive experiences and inspire participation.

In the lead up to Birmingham 2022, Table Tennis England has been at the centre of activation events such as the One Year to Go event held in Birmingham last summer, and we hope to hold similar ‘have a go’ activations at the Games. Watch the video below of the people of Birmingham giving table tennis a go at the event!

What do we want to achieve from the Commonwealth Games?

1. We are looking to connect with communities from hard to reach areas, through reaching out to the public, local partners, member clubs and leagues, to support with activation, community development and social integration, using table tennis as the mechanism to do this.

2. We want to raise aspirations, generate positive experiences and create new opportunities by strengthening connections with community, providing programmes to support a wide range of needs and enabling more people to lead active lives through positive table tennis experiences.

3. We will be working hard to inspire a lasting legacy from the Games and sustained participation in table tennis, through providing opportunities for engaged communities, partners and volunteer workforce, to continue to thrive and engage with table tennis post Games.

Table tennis will feature every day at the Commonwealth Games with tickets selling fast! Get yours here.