Gavin Evans has one eye on the present and one on the future as he prepares to head to his first Olympic Games as Team Leader.

Gvin and coach John Murphy will be charged with helping Liam Pitchford and Anna Hursey produce their best in Paris.

But he knows there is a bigger picture going forward to the next Olympic cycle in Los Angeles in 2028 and beyond to Brisbane 2032.

“We’ve got two different athletes here,” he said. “We’ve got a first-timer in Anna, who did tremendously well to qualify at such a young age.

“For her, it’s all about the experience, making sure that in the future she’s able to be a credible medal performer. She’s only 18 years of age – she’ll walk into the village, it will be fairly overwhelming. But we hope that she can get some good victories under her belt, really relish the experience and take that forward into LA and Brisbane.

“For Liam, this is his fourth games. he’s really quite experienced and we know with Liam if he gets it right on the day, he’s a really special athlete and he can do some serious damage.

“The main thing is, first step, get on to the table, win the first match and we go from there.”

That bigger picture covers not only the current players, but also the staff and the young players who are part of the pathway based at the Elite Training Centre in Sheffield – an environment which is geared to produce athletes capable of challenging for Olympic medals.

“This is my first time as team leader,” said Gavin. “I was there as the coach before, it’s a slightly different role.

“It’s a huge honour to be part of Team GB and I’m going to be really trying to learn to be as good as I can in my job to ensure that the system moving forward is in the best place it can be.

“There’s a lot of insight we need to take as well, as development we need to do when we move into the LA cycle, move past the LA cycle, the key is that we start to be fighting for those medals.

“For the youngsters on the pathway – well, I think if you’re not inspired by this, what will inspire you? You know, you’ve got two Olympians that are training full-time, with a number of other players there full-time. It’s an incredible environment.

“We’ve used it specifically for our preparations for Paris. We will use it beyond Paris for many years to come and, ultimately, it’ll be our home of table tennis that will provide the environment that will bring many more Olympians and medals in the future.”

On the subject of inspiring a generation, Gavin has only to look to home for another example of that – and his family is about to grow, with his wife Emily-Mayara currently expecting the couple’s third child. Might they spot daddy on TV during the Games?

“I’m going to team leader, but I’m also going as a coach,” he said, “so, two athletes – if they play at the same time, I’ll certainly be in the corner of one of them.

“I’ve got two beautiful kids at home and one on the way – my wife is only two weeks away from giving birth, so that adds another complexity to the journey! But I won’t be missing the Olympic Games.”

With the singles events in table tennis scheduled to run from July 27 to August 4, there may be a chance to watch some other sports in the second week of the Games, and Gavin highlighted two which he would like to follow.

“I just love sport in general,” he said. “I love track and field. It’s so exciting seeing people running around the track. You get that sense of buzz, don’t you, in the stadium?

“But one of my favourite sports is boxing, and we’re next door to boxing in our ETC in Sheffield, so I’ll be following the boxers and it’s something I’ll keep a close eye on.”

Gavin was speaking at ‘kitting out’ at the NEC in Birmingham, where athletes and staff collect their bespoke Team GB competition and leisure kit.

He said: “It feels real today. You know, we’re only two, two-and-a-half weeks from leaving our country, going into Paris, and we’re just super excited.

“The whole day has really brought it to life – an amazing kitting out experience. We’re just really very lucky to be a part of this.”