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MILAN — Hockey, one of the premier events at the Winter Olympics and one that is welcoming NHL players back for the first time in more than a decade, will take place on ice that is shorter than NHL-regulation size.

Men’s and women’s games at two arenas will be played in rinks that are 60 metres long by 26 metres wide, or 196.85-by-85.3 feet. NHL dimensions are 200 by 85 feet (60.96 by 25.908 metres), so the Olympic ice will be slightly wider and more than three feet shorter.

The International Ice Hockey Federation approved the Milan rinks, which fit one of the governing bodyâ€s standard sizes and was used by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators for two games in Stockholm in November.

The IIHF shifted to the NHL dimensions at the Olympics beginning in 2018 and used again in 2022. The 2026 Games in February mark the first time NHL players will be at the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi.Â

The IIHF on Monday confirmed the different size was in place in Milan without explanation.

“While these dimensions differ slightly from a typical NHL rink, they are consistent with IIHF regulations, match the rink size used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and are fully consistent with the dimensions the NHL requires as part of its Global Series Game arena specifications,†the federation said.

“All involved, the IIHF, the organizing committee, NHL, NHLPA, IOC and the relevant venue authorities agree that the differences in rink specifications are insignificant, and should not impact either the safety or quality of game play.â€

Olympic hockey had been played on international ice of 60 by 30 metres (196.85 by 98.4 feet) in 1998, 2006 and 2014, with a slight variation in Salt Lake City in 2002. It was played on NHL-sized ice in Vancouver in 2010 because of the existing arenas.

“Itâ€s the same for every team, and I think thatâ€s the bottom line,†Finland menâ€s hockey general manager Jere Lehtinen told The Associated Press. “Our coaches, maybe itâ€s more interesting and something you need to pay attention more.â€

Canada general manager Doug Armstrong first brought up the ice being slightly off from NHL regulation size on a podcast in early September and then discussed it again in October. National federations have been aware of the specs for quite some time; Canada assistant coach Peter DeBoer broached the topic recently on a radio show, raising questions about why it’s not NHL-sized ice.

The ice dimensions will be the same in both hockey arenas in February: the main arena that is still being built and the smaller, temporary venue that is situated inside an exhibition centre.

Construction at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena — the new, 16,000-seat venue on the outskirts of Milan — is going down to the wire and organizers told The AP that there was “no plan B.â€

A test event had to be moved to the Rho Ice Hockey Arena and new test events at the main venue arenâ€t scheduled until Jan. 9-11, less than a month before the first puck is dropped. Workers on Friday were still putting the finishing touches to the venue in Rho, just three days before the start of the IIHF Group B Under 20 World Championship that will serve as a test event.

“Weâ€re aware that theyâ€re behind schedule a little bit, but weâ€re all assuming that thatâ€ll all be taken care of,” Canada menâ€s assistant coach Bruce Cassidy said last week.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has brought up logistics concerns repeatedly. At the leagueâ€s annual fall Board of Governors meeting in October, he said: “We are constrained in what we can and canâ€t do, request and demand and if it reached a certain point, weâ€ll have to deal with it. But Iâ€m not speculating, and weâ€ve been constantly assured by the IOC and the IIHF that it will be OK.â€

The menâ€s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled from Feb. 11-22. The womenâ€s tournament runs from Feb. 5-19.

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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The Open Championship is moving back two weeks in 2028 to avoid a conflict with the Los Angeles Olympics, giving golf’s oldest championship its latest start since 1893.

The Open will be played Aug. 3-6 in 2028 at a links course still to be announced.

The Olympics, which return to Los Angeles for the third time, will be held July 14-30. That’s right in the typical time frame of the Open Championship. The most recent Olympic competition in Paris in 2024 was from July 26 through Aug. 11, allowing The Open to keep its traditional spot on the calendar.

The Open has been in July every year it has been played since 1936. The last time it finished later than July was in 1893 at Prestwick, the year Harry Vardon made his debut in The Open.

The other three majors in men’s golf are not affected, though the PGA Tour likely will have to make adjustments for the end of its FedEx Cup season. The tour currently is looking at a new model for 2027 and beyond.

Meanwhile, the R&A also has moved the Women’s Open Championship to Aug. 17-20 in 2028 — it was held on Aug. 22-25 in 2024 because of the Paris Olympics. The Senior Open Championship will be Aug. 10-13, keeping its spot a week after The Open.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Nov 29, 2025, 12:47 PM ET

MILAN — There is no backup plan if the main ice hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Winter Games is not ready on time.

Construction on the arena that is set to welcome NHL players back to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade is behind schedule and going right down to the wire.

A test event at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena – the new, 16,000-seat venue that is being built on the outskirts of Milan – had to be moved, and new ones won’t be until Jan. 9-11.

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“There is no plan B,” Andrea Francisi, the Chief Games Operations Officer for Milan Cortina, told The Associated Press on Saturday.

“So necessarily we have to be able to organize the competition in an impeccable manner at Santagiulia.”

The first Olympics game at the main hockey arena is the women’s preliminary round competition on Feb. 5, just one day before the opening ceremony.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and making sure the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new arena.

Francisi admitted there is “no precise date” for the venue to be handed over to local organizers, but he is confident “for the moment” that it will be ready for the Olympics.

“There are daily updates in the sense that our team is there working every day,” Francisi said. “The companies which are involved with the building of the facility have sped up their work significantly.

“We’re monitoring all that daily together with them, there’s great collaboration between us, we’re creating a coordinated plan between their work and our preparations and for the moment we’re healthily optimistic, but 100% we’ll do it.”

The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to run from Feb. 11-22. The women’s tournament runs from Feb. 5-19.

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Last week, when I sat down to write out who I would have in my forward group for Team Canada’s menâ€s Olympic team, I started by addressing the one question I knew many would have: How can you possibly leave Connor Bedard — who is fourth in NHL scoring — off your team?

I had him as Canadaâ€s 15th forward, the next up when someone is inevitably hurt, but yeah — not inside my healthy 14.

And so, I started laying out the facts about the other players and team building — not about Bedard, whoâ€s been excellent — and that ended up explaining how a guy like the Blackhawks star could get squeezed.

In a nutshell, a full hockey team requires different skill sets — stuff like penalty killing, checking and other defensive situations — and so you need some guys who excel in those spots too. Once you add a few of those guys to the outright locks that theyâ€ve already picked, there suddenly arenâ€t many spots left.

Iâ€m gonna steal a quote from Bill Guerin in a recent article in The Athletic, where he talks about picking the U.S. team:

“Honestly, I just donâ€t think you can put into words how tight those games were (at 4 Nations),” the Team USA GM said, “how little room there was to operate. And how well these elite players can check. In NHL games, theyâ€re not always counted on to do that, but when they are, they can. And not everybody can play in those situations. No matter what their offensive gifts are, if you canâ€t check, itâ€s probably not the tournament for you. … Thereâ€s just no room out there.”

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I will say, since I wrote that piece, Iâ€ve also come to believe that the Canadian team wonâ€t even make as many changes as I suggested from the 4 Nations Face-Off. Iâ€m holding pat on Bedard (on the outside, but he could find his way in), and not as sure about Mark Scheifele being on the team as I initially thought, either.

I get more into those forward conversations here, but I mention how it took shape simply to point out that the teamâ€s defence and goaltending positions are … not like that. Itâ€s strange, actually, how little debate there is to be had about Canadaâ€s defensive core when you consider the hand-wringing that went into the forward group.

Thatâ€s because, well, here are the seven guys Canada took to the 4 Nations, plus Thomas Harley, who joined in as the eighth guy due to injury. Remember, you can take eight D to the Olympics:

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars

Welp. Thatâ€s a pretty good eight that just won gold a year ago.

Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders
Brandon Montour, Seattle Kraken
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers
Jacob Chychrun, Washington Capitals

And I donâ€t have the list much longer than that. There are courtesy mentions to be made past those guys — both Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson have been great for Montreal, for example — but like Bedard, itâ€s more about the quality of the guys theyâ€d have to climb over.

In the year since the 4 Nations — where one of Canadaâ€s strengths was this long, rangy defensive group that disrupted just about everything — Iâ€m not sure anybody did anything to play their way off the team.

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights

Doughtyâ€s track record and competitiveness are known quantities and Canadian advantages. If heâ€s healthy, heâ€ll go.

That leaves this piece of the group:

Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars

Sanheim has been good, logging huge minutes (25:27, fifth in the NHL) against top competition with heavy D-zone starts, leading the team in penalty-killing minutes by a mile. Canada needs a guy like that.

Parayko has a similar profile, albeit not quite as heavy a lift, but his team GM Doug Armstrong knows and trusts him. I canâ€t see him removing either of these guys.

Suddenly, weâ€re up to seven, with one spot left.

The only guy Iâ€m not as sure about is Harley, whose underlying numbers in Dallas this season have been strangely … not great:

Harley played through injury for a while (and was apparently sick for a stretch) this season before the Stars put him on IR, so heâ€d be able to get right. Whatâ€s hard is, we know how good he can be — as his new contract validates — and we saw how incredible he was as an extra D for Canada at the 4 Nations (I canâ€t overstate that enough, at times he looked like their best D). Iâ€m inclined to just keep him, as I believe his game will come around.

If youâ€re not as into the analysis of any of the last three names, thereâ€s the “fringe selections†list, with my thoughts:

Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders

If he continues to play at his current clip, itâ€s going to put the Team Canada brass in a tough spot. My god, is he good. Heâ€s still young, though, and still takes risks and makes overly aggressive mistakes. Because of that, he doesnâ€t play the toughest matchups, so Iâ€m not sure how itâ€d look in best-on-best, but having an elite partner would definitely help. At this point, though, he looks like one of the worldâ€s most dynamic players, and if he can sustain that label, boy, heâ€d be tempting as your eighth guy. He can get the puck up the rink and into the hands of your elite forwards, thereâ€s no doubt about that.

Brandon Montour, Seattle Kraken

Montour is having a great year, and can provide a bit of everything, which might be the knock on him in the end. A “Jack of all trades, master of none†sort of thing. But heâ€s won a Cup and heâ€s competitive as hell, and Canadians sure love that in a player.

Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers

I made the case for Bouchard making it on Twitter awhile back, noting that after a slow start he seemed to be finding his usual dynamic game. I made the case that there are few in the world who can create like him, and if scoring becomes an issue, you could see him getting plugged into the lineup as a specialist. More than anything, his astronomical 1.08 points per game in the playoffs backs up his reputation as a big-game player (he generates 0.69 in the regular season). Heâ€s been in the biggest moments, and can handle the heat.

The problem is, he needed to be excellent for this exact stretch while the team was making its decisions, and he just hasnâ€t been. Heâ€s had some good games, but the lost battles, the brain farts, the little frustrations with him just never seem to get cleaned up. I advocated for him before, but I just canâ€t see this management group actually rolling the dice on him for extra offensive upside, while the team is this loaded up front.

Jacob Chychrun, Washington Capitals

Chychrun has a better case than you may think. He plays a ton, and in all situations, has nearly a point per game and is a big guy who competes. I find it hard to believe heâ€d jump Harley, but I think Chychrun might be close. If there are injuries, I bet they find themselves talking about him an awful lot.

The one thing I keep hearing through all this is that itâ€s the same management, they won a year ago, and itâ€s not going to be wildly different. Betting on the same eight guys is definitely the odds-on favourite with Canadaâ€s D-corps, and at this point, theyâ€re the same guys that I would be taking, too.

Iâ€m gonna try to keep it tight on goalies, because it no longer seems all that complex:

Jordan Binnington is going. Heâ€s developed the reputation as a big-game guy, as a clutch player, and he delivered in the biggest moments just a year ago. Iâ€m sure theyâ€re going to take him.

Logan Thompson is going. Weâ€re consecutive years into him being one of the NHLâ€s elite goalies, and no other Canadian keeperâ€s numbers are even close to his. Heâ€s made comments about getting things cleaned up with Kyle Dubas and the Team Canada brass, and I just find it impossible to believe theyâ€d let whatever relationships issues from the past get in the way of taking their best guys. Heâ€s gonna go.

So then weâ€re left with a pool maybe something like this:

Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings
Scott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche
Jet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets
Jake Allen, New Jersey Devils

For me, Kuemper is the third guy.

He was a key part of a Stanley Cup run just three years ago, emerging as the victor. Heâ€s a six-foot-five veteran whoâ€s got a career .915 save percentage(!), and has a .910 this year in a league where “average†is officially sub-.900. If you have to turn to someone you trust, heâ€s it.

As for the rest, it seems to come down to taking the hot hand. Can one of these guys get red-hot at the right time, the exact month when selections are being made?

Wedgewood seems to be doing that, but Greaves has a case as one of Canadaâ€s goalies of the future. Youâ€ve heard it said that if Canada needs its third-stringer, it’s in trouble, anyway, so you might as well let him gain the experience.

Finally, Allen is a reliable back-up who would be … fine. Heâ€d be fine, I like him. Four Nations goalies Sam Montembault and Adin Hill donâ€t seem like very viable candidates, at this point.

All told, I could live with something like:

Thompson
Binnington
Kuemper

Give the top two names a game each early, then ride the hot hand. This tournament is about getting hot at the right time, and with goaltending, youâ€ve gotta lean into that.

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  Kristen ShiltonNov 19, 2025, 02:14 PM ET

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  Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

Neck guards will be mandatory for all hockey players at the upcoming Olympic Games in Milano-Cortana.

An NHL source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) will require the protective gear be worn throughout the upcoming tournament. BBC Sports was first to report the news.

The decision comes in the wake of Adam Johnson’s death in October 2023 after he took a skate blade to the neck from Matt Petgrave during a game in Sheffield, England. The IIHF had previously announced in December 2023 that neck guards would be required at all levels of the sport but never set a date when that would be instated at the most senior level amid issues with supplying teams with the garments. They’ve finally set a timeline now with three months to go until the Olympics open in Italy.

The upcoming Games will feature NHL players in competition for the first time since 2014. There is no mandate that neck guards be worn by all skaters in the NHL, although some have opted to use them following Johnson’s accident. Incoming NHL players will be required to wear them starting in the 2026-27 season, however, per the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. Players who dressed in at least one NHL game before next season will continue having the option.

Hockey action begins at the Games on Feb. 5.

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“It will be an honour for the women’s 100m to open the LA Games,” said British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith.

“It’s such an exciting opportunity – celebrating the enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years on from the first time women competed in Olympic track and field. I can’t wait to set the tone for what will be a thrilling and spectacular Games.”

Having the women’s 100m open the Games means those competing must run three heats in one day, instead of over two days, but LA28 chief athlete officer Janet Evans said they spoke at length with athletes and had a “largely positive conversation”.

The athletics will be at the LA Memorial Coliseum, while the first medal event will be the women’s triathlon and the last will be in swimming.

Swimming has moved to the second week so it can take place at the opening ceremony venue, SoFi Stadium.

The first official day of the Olympics will also include the most women’s finals in a single day.

“The LA28 Olympic Games will feature a record-breaking number of female Olympians, with every team sport featuring an equal or greater number of women’s teams compared to men’s teams for the first time ever, and 50.5% of the total athlete quota allocated to women across the 36 sports and 51 disciplines,” said the organisers., external

The details for the Olympic football tournament, which will be staged across the United States, and the Los Angeles Paralympics, scheduled for 15-27 August, have yet to be announced.

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The womenâ€s 100m final will headline the first day of competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as part of organisers†plans to “open with a bangâ€.

The surprise decision, which will lead to all three rounds of the 100m taking place on the same day, was welcomed by the US sprint star Shaâ€Carri Richardson, who said it showed that “track and field is having its momentâ€.

Britainâ€s Dina Asher-Smith also backed the switch for the Games, which will take place from 15-30 July. “Itâ€s such an exciting opportunity – celebrating the enduring legacy, strength and global power of womenâ€s sprinting, exactly 100 years on from the first time women competed in Olympic track and field,†she added.

Sprinters usually run a maximum of twice a day, but World Athletics said it had consulted widely with athletes to ensure they were on board with the decision.

‘Itâ€s such an exciting opportunity,†says Great Britainâ€s Dina Asher-Smith of the surprise decision to stage all three rounds of the 100m taking place on the same day. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

“To be the pre-eminent event on the first night of competition in the historic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we presented it to the athletes that way, there was excitement,†said Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer for the Games. “A majority of athletes said to me: ‘Just let me know. Let me know early, and Iâ€ll start training to run three 100s in one day.â€â€

World Athletics said it had deliberately arranged the schedule to allow as many athletes as possible to “double upâ€, not only in events such as the 100m and 200m but also the 800m and 1500m, and the 1500m and 5,000m. It said that there would be 10 days†of competition at the LA Coliseum, with a mixed 100m relay having its debut, as well as three days of road events at the end of the Games.

“We have landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our womenâ€s sprinters take centre stage on day one,†said the World Athletics president, Seb Coe. “It is a schedule that is both innovative but also honours tradition, with the menâ€s marathon on the final day.â€

‘We have landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our womenâ€s sprinters take centre stage on day one,†says the World Athletics president, Sebastian Coe. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

However, the schedule makes it unlikely that the US sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to run in both the 400m and the 400 hurdles, given the 400m hurdles semi-finals and the 400m final are on the same day.

Swimming has traditionally kicked off the Summer Games. But as it is taking place in SoFi Stadium, where the opening ceremony will be staged, it will now start in the second week.

Organisers also confirmed that day one will feature the most womenâ€s finals ever in a single day in Games†history, with the womenâ€s triathlon gold medal among those up for grabs. They have also scheduled a Super Saturday on the penultimate day, with 26 gold medals across 23 sports up for grabs.

Shana Ferguson, LA28â€s chief of sport and games delivery, said the plan is to sell about 14 million tickets across 51 Olympic sports at 49 venues, with public sales due to begin in April 2026. Ferguson also confirmed that organisers would not employ the controversial dynamic pricing model that provoked outrage among Oasis fans in the summer and was trialled by Fifa at footballâ€s Club World Cup in the US.

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  Kristen ShiltonNov 11, 2025, 02:01 PM ET

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  Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

TORONTO — The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are less than 90 days away in Italy, and there is still work to be done on the ice surfaces that will showcase NHL players suiting up at their first Games in a decade.

The league hasn’t allowed its skaters to participate at the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi. Now that they are on the cusp of returning, there are serious questions about the quality of ice both men and women players will be working with in February.

“There’s still work ongoing on the rinks and the ice conditions,” confirmed NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at the NHL GM meetings on Tuesday. “It’s something that we’re monitoring closely, and we have absolutely no control over. This is all on the [International Olympic Committee] and the [International Ice Hockey Federation].”

Bettman said the league is getting “constant reassurances” from the IOC and IIHF that “everything will be fine” with the rinks by the time athletes arrive overseas. At this point, the main hockey rink — Santagiulia Arena — is still under construction. The venue was meant to undergo testing for Olympic events in December, with a U-20 world championship tournament. But that’s now been moved to another rink — the Rho Fiera — that will host secondary hockey matches during the Games.

Those building delays could mean that no games will actually be played at Santagiulia Arena until the women’s hockey schedule officially opens Feb. 5 with an untested ice surface. Beyond just being a safety issue for players, there’s also a question of testing things such as bathrooms and concessions for fans in a newly constructed space.

While the NHL can’t do much to expedite the construction process, they are staying actively involved in what’s going on. When the league’s current Global Series showcase in Sweden between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators wraps up this weekend, NHL executives will make a pilgrimage to Milano-Cortina to check the status of rink construction for themselves.

What they find there remains to be seen. All Bettman can reiterate is that it’s out of the NHL’s hands.

“We’re simply invited guests,” Bettman said.

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The ICC has announced that both men’s and women’s T20 cricket will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Each division will include six teams competing in a total of 28 matches.This marks cricket’s return to the Olympics after 128 years, with its only previous appearance being at Paris 1900. In that historic event, Great Britain won gold after defeating France in a single match.”To accelerate the global growth of cricket, ICC also said the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will have both the men’s and women’s T20 events, which will feature six teams each, comprising 28 matches in total.””The Board reviewed the ICC’s ongoing engagement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28), as cricket deepens its footprint in the global multisport landscape. It commended the efforts being made to include Cricket in regional multi-sport games, which would mean increased participation opportunities for countries,” said the ICC.The Olympic cricket events will allocate 90 athlete quotas per gender. Each participating nation can field 15-player squads.The competitions will run from July 12 to 29, 2028. Women’s medal matches will be played on July 20, while men’s medal matches are scheduled for July 29.All cricket matches will take place at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, located 50 km from downtown Los Angeles.Cricket will also feature in several upcoming multisport events leading up to LA 2028. These include the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the 2027 African Games in Cairo, Egypt, and cricket’s debut at the 2027 PanAm Games in Lima, Peru.The ICC Board has approved a nearly 10% increase in funding distribution to associate members for 2026.”The uplift in funding will enable these countries to invest further in domestic programmes, high-performance structures, and cricket development across emerging regions,” it said.The ICC Board has approved issuing an Invitation to Tender for Video Gaming Rights. This initiative aims to partner with global leaders to create digital fan experiences.The governing body will explore new commercial opportunities through a data consolidation project.”The project will focus on leveraging data clusters to drive AI-powered fan engagement and enhanced analytics, as well as deepen consumer understanding across the cricket ecosystem. The initiative will seek to support ICC’s Members with new commercial opportunities,” concluded the ICC.

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November 5, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Table Tennis England and Special Olympics Great Britain have collaborated to create a new development plan designed to increase sporting opportunities for children and adults with an intellectual (learning) disability.

Launched today, the Table Tennis Development Planseeks to:

• Build closer relationships between accredited clubs of Special Olympics GB and Table Tennis England
• Develop a stronger competition pathway for people with an intellectual disability
• Help current and potential coaches and match officials upskill by accessing appropriate sport-wide qualifications

“Table tennis is a fantastically inclusive sport, and it is one of our most popular within the Special Olympics GB movement,†said Chris Smith, Head of Sport for Development at Special Olympics GB. “Last year we had around 160 athletes regularly playing the game at 18 clubs, while five competitions and training weekends were staged.

“Working together, we can make the game even more accessible and break down barriers to entry. Table Tennis England has the infrastructure and a strong club and coach development network. At Special Olympics GB we bring vast expertise in delivering sport to people with an intellectual disability and transforming lives, so itâ€s a great partnership to build.

“Weâ€re very excited to strengthen this relationship with the national governing body and hope to extend and replicate similar models with Table Tennis Scotland and Table Tennis Wales.â€

Jenny Leach, Senior Programmes and Partnerships Manager at Table Tennis England, said: “Weâ€ll be looking to understand from our coaches what further support they need to deliver more accessible and inclusive sessions.

“Ultimately, we want to make table tennis as inclusive as possible, and we look forward to working with Special Olympics GB to grow the game for players with an intellectual disability of all abilities.â€

Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the Special Olympics GB movement and becomes the second sport to have a formal development plan launched – following last monthâ€s release of the Tennis Development Plan in partnership with the LTA.

As a charity using the power of sport to transform the lives of children and adults with an intellectual disability, Special Olympics GB is developing plans for all of its Tier One sports (most popular) in collaboration with the appropriate national governing bodies and its National Sports Advisors.

For further information on table tennis within the Special Olympics GB movement, or details on joining a club, please click here.

About Special Olympics GB

Special Olympics Great Britain (GB), set up in 1978, is a non-profit charity which provides year-round sports coaching and athletic competition in summer and winter sports for more than 12,000 children and adults with an intellectual disability.

It currently has 98 accredited programmes in England, Scotland and Wales and provides coaching and competition opportunities in 27 sports. These programmes are run by nearly devoted 6,000 volunteers.

Special Olympics GB is more than just an opportunity to take part in sport – it transforms lives.  It provides opportunities to increase confidence, realise potential, develop physical fitness and mental well-being, demonstrate courage and experience new friendships. 

The work of Special Olympics GB is currently funded by individuals, trust and corporate donations and financial support is crucial to enable us to continue our work.

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