Six table tennis athletes are among a squad of 178 announced by Team GB today for the third European Games to be held in Krakow from June 21 to July 2.

The six are: Tin-Tin Ho, Charlotte Carey, Liam Pitchford, Paul Drinkhall, Tom Jarvis and Sam Walker.

It is a first GB call-up for Jarvis, although he has travelled to the last two Olympic Games as a reserve or sparring partner.

The other five all competed at the last European Games in Minsk in 2019, while Pitchford and Drinkhall were also on duty at the inaugural Games in Baku in 2015. Indeed, the pair are two of only four competitors in the GB squad who will be competing at their third European Games – the others are shooters Amber Rutter and Seonaid McIntosh.

Pitchford, Drinkhall, Jarvis and Walker will compete in the Men’s Team, while Pitchford and Drinkhall will also play in the Men’s Singles. Ho and Carey compete in the Women’s Singles, and Ho & Pitchford are in the Mixed Doubles competition.

Qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics is the carrot for Ho & Pitchford as the gold medallists will qualify.

Head of Performance Development Gavin Evans said: “The Krakow European Games is an opportunity for our best GB athletes to build on some great momentum and showcase their quality on the big stage.

“Multi-sport events are always great to be a part of. I want to wish all the athletes the best of luck and I look forward to supporting our athletes in Krakow.”

The athletes are among a contingent of 178 GB athletes across 18 sports. In total, around 7,000 athletes from 48 nations will compete across 12 days in Krakow.

The delegation will be led by Dr Paul Ford, who reprises his role as Chef de Mission after previously leading the charge at Minsk 2019.

Ford said: “It’s a huge privilege once again to take such a talented group of athletes to compete against Europe’s finest at the Games. Providing a great benchmarking exercise looking ahead to next year, crucially the 2023 European Games offers qualification opportunities for Paris.

“We aim to focus our support on creating the best performance environment for our athletes alongside our preparations for 2024.”