Paralympic tournament provides boost for Sheffield

The British Open Para Table Tennis Championships – an important sporting event in the run up to the 2012 Paralympics – attracted more than 400 people from as far as Venezuela, Hong Kong and Australia, when it took place at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield (EISS) in September.

Event director, John Timms, of MLS Contacts Ltd, said: “The British Open was a world class event and it is fantastic that Sheffield was the city to host it. The huge number of competitors and officials that travelled so far to take part had a massive impact on the local economy.

“The budget for the event was put back into the Sheffield economy through spending on venue hire and dressing, transport hire, hospitality and accommodation, and marketing.”

Peter Taylor, BTTAD chairman, said: “I am pleased to see that the British Open had a positive impact on the city of Sheffield. There is no other city in the country that rivals Sheffield for its elite sporting facilities, which is why the GB Paraylmpic table tennis squad is based here. It was only right that it was the location for this important tournament.

“It was a fantastic event that helped to raise the profile of some of the country’s finest disabled athletes. We are very grateful to our partners. UK Sport funds our World Class Performance Program, and without that input and funding this event would not have happened.”

Following the British Open, the Slovakian Paralympic table tennis team announced that Sheffield would become its official training base in the run up to London 2012. EISS already hosts the GB Olympic and Paralympic table tennis squads.