Bookings Open for Parkinson’s Scottish International Open 2026

Bookings have opened for an event that has grown into something bigger than a tournament. The fourth Parkinson’s Scottish International Open will return to the sportscotland National Sports Training Centre in Inverclyde on Saturday 15 August and Sunday 16 August 2026, and the draw is as much about belonging as it is about medals.

Table Tennis Scotland and the Parkinson’s Scottish Table Tennis Association are again putting the weekend on at a national-performance venue that gives the event a proper stage. The format is built for players of all levels and abilities, with organisers pushing the same ideas that have made the Open stand out from the start: fair competition, an inclusive atmosphere and enough social time for players to connect over the game itself.

That mix matters because the event is already acting like a hub for Parkinson’s table tennis in Scotland, not just a one-off booking. Parkinson’s UK signed an agreement with Table Tennis Scotland in October 2024 to increase opportunities for people with Parkinson’s to play across the country, and at that point there were seven dedicated sessions in South Ayrshire, Glasgow, Perth and Dundee. The Open sits right inside that wider network, which helps explain why players treat it as part sport, part support system.

The numbers show the momentum. The inaugural Scottish Parkinson’s International Open ran from 4 to 6 August 2023, then the field jumped from 46 players in 2023 to 88 in 2024. Table Tennis Scotland later said the 2025 edition welcomed 91 players from home and abroad, with competitors arriving from Hungary, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. That kind of spread gives the event real travel pull, and it is a sign that Inverclyde has become a destination on the Parkinson’s table tennis calendar.

The practical details are just as important as the competition itself. Table Tennis Scotland says 50 twin rooms are available for 2026, with the accommodation package offered first come, first served and including two nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast plus lunch. The package prices stayed the same as 2025, and when the main on-site rooms fill up, organisers are pointing players toward alternative accommodation in Largs to keep the trip realistic.

Brian Carson, Scotland Trustee for Parkinson’s UK and chair of the Scottish Parkinson’s Table Tennis Association, is part of the organising committee. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017, Carson has said the sport helps his movement and responses, which fits the wider case Parkinson’s UK makes for activity: 2.5 hours a week can help manage symptoms, and table tennis can support hand-eye coordination, mental alertness, concentration, balance and strength.

That is why this Open keeps landing with players. It is competitive, yes, but it is also a place where the sport does what the best local clubs do at their best: keep people active, keep them connected and give them somewhere worth coming back to.