The eyes of the sporting world are on Birmingham as the Commonwealth Games get under way this morning - and some of Kent's best sportsmen and women will be in the spotlight over the next 11 days.

Despite the withdrawal of Blackheath & Bromley Harriers' sprinter Dina Asher-Smith through injury, the county still boasts genuine medal-winning potential across a range of sports, starting this morning with the men's team gymnastics.

Maidstone's James Hall and Gravesend's Giarnni Regini-Moran, along with Hall's ex-Peagsus Gymnastics Club team-mate Courtney Tulloch, will all be in action as they try to retain Team England's team gold won in 2018. Qualification for the individual events, which will be held from Sunday until Tuesday, also takes place.

If bowls is your thing, keep an eye out for Whitstable's Sian Honnor and Dartford's Michelle White. Like the gymnastics, the lawn bowls and para lawn bowls get under way today - at Victoria Park in Leamington Spa - and Honnor will be hoping to add to her triples gold won four years ago in Australia, while White is in para bowls women's pairs action with Surrey's Gill Platt.

This Saturday sees Gravesend's Georgia-Mae Fenton step onto the gymnastics mat as Team England's women begin their quest for artistic medals. As with the men, qualification for individual categories will also take place, and on Sunday, the attention switches to weightlifting, with Bexleyheath's Jack Oliver going for gold in the 73kg class.

Tonbridge judo player Jemima Yeats-Brown won bronze at the Glasgow Games in 2014 - she begins her mission for another medal in the 70kg class on Tuesday. Tuesday is also the start of England women's team's hockey campaign, and Canterbury-born Grace Balsdon will be hoping to have made the team to face India. Medway side Holcombe have five men's players at the Games. Rob Field could represent Scotland against Pakistan on Wednesday and, on Thursday, Nick Bandurak, Phil Roper and Ollie Payne may line-up for England against Canada. Hayden Phillips' New Zealand, meanwhile, are up and running against South Africa.

Minster's Ross Wilson begins the defence of his class 8-10 para table tennis title on Wednesday, which is the day mountain bike fans can watch Joseph Blackmore from Sidcup, while diving fans will be supporting Bromley's Evie Smith. Daughter of former Gillingham star Neil Smith, she finished third in the 3m springboard at the British Championships in May. Diving starts on Thursday, with the 3m springboard category on Sunday, August 7.

After a day's break, gymnastics returns with the rhythmic discipline from Thursday with the team final and qualification for the individual events which run until Saturday, August 6. Kent are represented by Sidcup's Saffron Severn and Welling's Marfa Ekimova. Thursday also sees the para powerlifting, with Dartford's Games debutant Liam McGarry among the contenders.

If competing at a home Games wasn't enough, Adam Gemili, Asher-Smith's Blackheath & Bromley Harriers club-mate, will be even more fired up after failing to qualify from the heats in the 200m at the World Championships in Oregon. The Dartford sprinter begins his medal bid on Thursday, August 4.

Before then, the men's 800m gets under way with Sturry's Invicta East Kent runner Matthew Stonier in action on Wednesday. Stonier is also due to run in the men's 1,500m from Thursday - the same day Tonbridge AC's Harry Kendall opens his decathlon campaign.

Tonbridge's Tom Bosworth, who recently announced his retirement from athletics at the end of the season, takes part in his final Commonwealth Games racewalk on Sunday, August 7.