Preview: 2015 ITTF Para-Table Tennis European Championships

Day one of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) 2015 Para-Table Tennis European Championships gets underway on Monday (12 October) in Vejle, Denmark, beginning with the group stage of the singles competition. The singles competition will continue through to 14 October, followed by the team competitions on 15 October.

The first day of the competition will be comprised of 249 games across all 11 classes, with every registered athlete competing. The group stage will continue onto the second day of competition and will be followed by the quarter-finals.

Expectations will be high for the host nation Denmark, who will be looking to start off strong with eight players seeking medals. The entire team will be competing at the international level for the first time in front of a home crowd, with eyes on Peter Rosenmeier, who is ranked No. 1 in the men’s singles class 6.

Top athletes will be facing off across all classes. Croatia’s Sandra Paovic and Ukraine’s Anonina Khodzynskaya, ranked first and sixth respectively in class 6, will compete on Monday. All of the top-seven world ranked women in class 6 are present at the European Championships, making this one of the most highly-ranked competitive classes.

Poland’s Natalia Partyka will be returning to the European Championships after a hiatus in 2013 following her gold medal in 2011. She will also be returning to competition for the first time since her World Championships title win in September 2014.

This year's European Championships participants range from various ages, spanning over 57 years of age. Norway’s Sebastian Brandal Vegsund, men’s class 4, is the youngest athlete competing at 14.

Bosnia’s Stipo Jozic, Montenegro’s Filip Radovic and Portugal’s Nuno Jose Pontes Brandaoare are the sole representatives of their respective countries.

For the first time, all tables and all games will be live streamed and available for viewing on the Para-Table Tennis European Championship website. You can also follow live updates at the event’s Facebook page.