Rob Davies will lead a 13-athlete Great Britain group at the ITTF World Para Future Region de Murcia, which is scheduled to take place in Spain from 6 to 9 October.
Table Tennis England named athletes from the British Para Table Tennis Team’s Performance and Pathway squads for the event, with the competition forming part of the International Table Tennis Federation’s 2026 para table tennis calendar.
Davies arrives in Murcia after winning men’s class 1 singles gold at the World Para Elite Yvelines event in France last month, according to Table Tennis England. The Welsh player is preparing for the World Para Championships in November.
The ITTF lists Davies fourth in men’s class 1. Its profile records eight major titles for the Great Britain player, including class 1 Paralympic gold at Rio 2016 and European singles titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2025.
Table Tennis England described Davies as the European champion when confirming the squad. The ITTF profile also records a class 1 singles silver medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games, silver at the 2023 European Para Table Tennis Championships and bronze at the 2022 World Para Championships.
Thirteen selected for Spanish tournament
The selected athletes represent classifications from class 1 to class 10. Davies is joined by fellow class 1 player Nathan Drayner, while Theo Bishop and Bailey Page have both been selected in class 7.
- Theo Bishop — class 7
- Rob Davies — class 1
- Nathan Drayner — class 1
- Max Flint — class 10
- Ryan Henry — class 8
- Thomas Hepburn — class 5
- Jack Hunter-Spivey — class 5
- Lowri Hurd — class 9
- Paul Karabardak — class 6
- Bethany Kelf — class 3
- Bailey Page — class 7
- Daniel Thomson — class 6
- Jacob Wicks — class 5
The group includes players across eight classifications, from Davies and Drayner in class 1 to Flint in class 10. Table Tennis England’s announcement places both Performance and Pathway squad athletes in the travelling selection, while the published list identifies the class in which each player is entered. The event therefore brings together British competitors from across the selected classifications on the same international tournament programme in Murcia.
Davies targets useful competitive preparation
Davies said his initial reason for entering the Murcia tournament had been to strengthen his world-ranking position. He explained that changes to the expected entry list had altered those ranking considerations, but said the event would still offer valuable match practice.
That assessment makes Murcia a competitive opportunity rather than simply a ranking exercise for the 2016 Paralympic champion. Table Tennis England reported that Davies had trained in Spain earlier in the year and had been looking forward to returning for the tournament.
The ITTF profile says Davies first appeared at an international tournament at the 2007 Irish Open and that he has previously held the number one position in men’s class 1. Its current fourth-place listing and record of medals provide verified context for the experience he brings to the British group, without determining how he will perform in Murcia.
The ITTF’s results record underlines the level of experience Davies brings to the squad. Alongside his major-title record, his 2026 results listed by the federation include bronze medals at World Para Elite events in Nakhon Ratchasima and Lasko, bronze at the World Para Challenger in Lasko, and silver at the World Para Challenger in Lignano.
For the rest of the selected group, Murcia provides a place on the ITTF’s international calendar before November’s World Para Championships. Results and medal records are due to be published through the federation’s tournament listing once play begins.