As Para table tennis enters its final month of qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games British athletes will be travelling to Kazakhstan, Italy, Spain and Poland in March hoping to consolidate or improve their chances of competing in Paris later this summer.

European champion Will Bayley – awarded the ITTF Male Para Player of the Year 2023 earlier this week – has already secured the regional spot for Europe in men’s class 7 and will be competing in Kazakhstan for the required tournament credits while the rest of the Performance squad are looking to achieve results that will earn them qualification on their world ranking at the end of March.

“When I look back at a similar time before previous Games, I think this year we are looking good and the team is the best prepared it’s ever been,” said performance director Gorazd Vecko, who is preparing for his fourth Paralympic Games with the British Para table tennis team having started in 2009. “It doesn’t mean that everyone is certain to qualify but I think we are in a much better position than we were at the same time before London, Rio or Tokyo.”

Qualification has been even harder for Paris than for previous Paralympics with even a top five world ranking not being enough to secure a place at the Games in some classes.

“It is difficult when you see athletes calculating their points and the position they are in all the time against the results of players from other countries,” said Vecko. “With all the calculations we have to make sometimes it feels as if we are working in an accountant’s office and not in sport. In some ways it is more difficult to qualify than to take a medal at the Paralympic Games because it is such a tough qualification system, but it is part of the sport.

“In some classes only the top two in the world ranking will qualify because they also have the regional champions, wild cards and the winners of the World Paralympic qualification tournament. I feel it is too hard to qualify and the ITTF and IPC need to look at how to allow more athletes to qualify because Para table tennis is growing, and some classes have more than 80 active players but only 10 can take part in the Paralympic Games which is really hard.”

The team events have now been replaced by men’s, women’s and mixed doubles and for the first time athletes can also qualify on their doubles ranking. This requires further complicated calculations as in international tournaments other than major championships athletes can play doubles with a player from another country.

“The system is quite complicated because you qualify as an individual and not as a doubles pair,” said Vecko, “and you can have a world ranking of one or two but your partner could be five or six so it doesn’t mean that your partner will qualify as well. At international competitions you can play with a player from another country and if you are playing with a player in the same class who has a similar number of points then you will never overtake them. So, athletes need to think about who they should play with so they can be as high as possible in the doubles rankings.

“However, we had really good results at the last World Championships in the doubles and although classes will be a little different in Paris, we still expect to be world class in Paris and have big chances for medals.”

The British squad for the ITTF Astana Para Open, Kazakhstan (March 1-3) is:
Chris Ryan, 32, Welwyn Garden City – class 2
Grace Williams, 20, Llanfyllin/Sheffield – class 8
Martin Perry, 29, Paisley/Dumbarton – class 6
Megan Shackleton, 24, Todmorden/Sheffield – class 4
Romain Simon, 34, Leyton/Chigwell – class 3
Ryan Henry, 23, Ardrossan/Sheffield – class 8
Theo Bishop, 20, Rossendale/Sheffield – class 7
Will Bayley, 36, Tunbridge Wells/Brighton – class 7

The British squad for the ITTF Lignano Masters Para Open, Italy (March 6-9) is:
Aaron McKibbin, 32, London (Wandsworth)/Epsom – class 8
Ashley Facey, 29, London (Stratford)/Sheffield – class 9
Billy Shilton, 25, Stonehouse (Gloucester)/Sheffield – class 8
Bly Twomey, 13, Brighton – class 7
Chris Ryan, 32, Welwyn Garden City – class 2
Fliss Pickard, 29, Burnley/Sheffield – class 6
Joshua Stacey, 24, Cardiff/Sheffield – class 9
Martin Perry, 29, Paisley/Dumbarton – class 6
Megan Shackleton, 24, Todmorden/Sheffield – class 4
Paul Karabardak, 38, Swansea – class 6
Rob Davies, 39, Brecon – class 1

The British squad for the ITTF Costa Brava Spanish Para Open (March 11-14) is:
Ashley Facey, 29, London (Stratford)/Sheffield – class 9
Billy Shilton, 25, Stonehouse (Gloucester)/Sheffield – class 8
Fliss Pickard, 29, Burnley/Sheffield – class 6
Grace Williams, 20, Llanfyllin/Sheffield – class 8
Jack Hunter-Spivey, 28, Liverpool/Sheffield – class 5
Joshua Stacey, 24, Cardiff/Sheffield – class 9
Martin Perry, 29, Paisley/Dumbarton – class 6
Tom Matthews, 31, Aberdare – class 1

The qualification period for the 2024 Paralympic Games finishes at the end of March with the ITTF Polish Para Open (March 26-29) and there will be a final chance for athletes to qualify at the Paralympic World Qualification Tournament taking place in Thailand from May 23-25.