Tunbridge Wells athlete to compete at Beijing

Kent table tennis player, Will Bayley, will be part of the Great Britain table tennis squad at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The 20-year-old from Tunbridge Wells was recognised for a Kent Paralympian Fund award, a scheme in partnership with The Denne Group and Kent County Council’s Sports Development Unit to help potential athletes’ bid to compete at a Paralympic Games.

Will, who is also an associate officer with KCC’s Sports Development Unit to encourage more people to get into disability sport, is ranked 19th in the world for table tennis.

He said: “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s been two years of hard work and concentrating on qualification so it’s great that I have been selected. In Beijing I want to win a medal in the singles. It’s quite an open class – there’s about six or seven athletes who could win.”

? The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games opens on 6 September 6 and closes 17 September. The table tennis events take place from 7-16 September at the Peking University Gymnasium.