February 23 update

Please note, the current situation remains as outlined in the January 5 update below, that all club, league, competition or coaching activity is not permitted. However, following the Government announcement on 22nd February 2021, we have outlined what we believe are the key steps for returning to table tennis activity.

There still needs to be consideration as to what stage of the Ready to Return roadmap will apply at each of the outlined dates below and what level of activity will be permitted, such as whether local leagues and competitions are permitted immediately after the dates outlined.

Therefore, please keep an eye on the Table Tennis England website for further information, which will be provided later this week. Please bear in mind that these are our current understandings of restrictions and these may change subject to Sport England’s updated FAQs being shared. We will also add more detail to the Ready to Return official guidance document during the course of this week, which will be found here.

No earlier than 8th March

• Outdoor table use, club, league or competition activity not permitted
• Under-18 sport can take place at school as part of educational provision, or as part of wraparound care, but should not otherwise take place at this time.

No earlier than 29th March

• Play on outdoor tables and organised outdoor sport permitted for bubbles of six adults or two households, or groups of 15 children
• Indoor play not permitted for children or adults

No earlier than 12th April

• Table tennis indoors to re-start for children under the age of 18 in bubbles of up to 15 (the stage of the Ready to Return roadmap that we return to and the type of activity that is permitted, i.e. training/competition, will be outlined later this week). We are seeking clarity with regards to who falls into the under-18 category – before Lockdown 3.0 the exemption for under-18s included young people who were under 18 on 31st August 2020, even if they turned 18 during the remainder of the academic year.

• Play for adults indoors not yet permitted, unless with someone from your own household

No earlier than 17th May

• Table tennis indoors to re-start for adults in bubbles of up to six people, or from two households (the stage of the Ready to Return roadmap that we return to and the type of activity that is permitted, i.e. training/competition, will be outlined later this week)

No earlier than 21st June

• Remove all legal limits on social contact, publishing accompanying guidance on how best to reduce the risk of transmission and protect ourselves and loved ones

We are seeking clarification on a few areas, including one-to-one coaching, which was previously permitted for adults before larger adult groups were able to re-start. It is unclear at this stage whether this will be the case again but we will keep this page and the official guidance document updated on the Ready to Return pages of the website, as soon as that clarity is available.