Jean Devys celebrates landmark birthday

Jean Devys in his younger days, never one to seek the limelight Stalwart member of the Swaythling Club, Jean Devys celebrated his 90th birthday on Wednesday 17th June. Born in Roubaix, watching Michel Haguenauer play Guy Amouretti in 1949 when the French National Championships were held in nearby Lille, provided the motivation for one of the most distinguished careers in the sport of table tennis. In 1957 he joined the local Flanders League Committee, in 1964 the French Table Tennis Federation, before being elected to the ITTF Ranking Committee 1982 and in 1984 the management Committee of the European Table Tennis Union, the year in which he became the editor of the French Table Tennis magazine. He retired from office in 1996 after 33