GWENT table tennis ace Charlotte Carey will have the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in her sights when she competes for Team GB in the World Team Qualification Event in Portugal.
Ebbw Vale's Carey has been called up alongside Tin Tin Ho and Maria Tsaptsinos in the women’s squad.
The men’s squad comprises Rio Olympians Liam Pitchford, Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker, alongside Tom Jarvis.
The competition, in Gondomar from January 22 to 26, will decide which nations qualify to compete in the team events at the Tokyo Olympics.
In Portugal, the teams could play up to three matches – effectively a quarter-final, semi-final and final. The eight nations winning those finals will earn a place at the Olympics.
The nations which lose in the finals will enter a repechage phase of knockout matches with the winner of that also going to Tokyo.
That means a total of nine men’s and nine women’s teams will qualify in Portugal and will join the continental champions and hosts Japan to make up the final field of 16 at the Olympics.
If Team GB qualify, they will automatically receive two singles places at the Olympics. If Team GB miss out, there will be no further opportunity to qualify a team, but individual players can book their place through the singles qualifying process in the spring of 2020.
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