Members meet (standing left to right) Anton Lehmann, Reto Bazzi, Teri Földy, Trix Luterbacher, Claude Diethelm, Erwin Heri, Thomas Sadecky (seated) Laszlo Pal, Yvonne Schnyder (Photo: courtesy of Reto Bazzi) On Thursday 15th October at Binningen near Basel members of the Swiss branch of the Swaythling Club International met to honour their colleague, Werner Schnyder, who sadly passed away on Sunday 27th September. Werner Schnyder was the Treasurer of the Swaythling Club International from 1999 until 2019 in addition to hold many invaluable roles with Swiss Table Tennis. Remembering Werner Schnyder (Photo: courtesy of Reto Bazzi)
Year: 2020
George Kennedy remembered
Always a welcoming smile from George Kennedy, more recently and in younger days (Photo: courtesy of Colleen Kennedy) by Colleen Kennedy Valued member of the Swaythling Club International, George Dowd Kennedy passed away on Monday 5th October at the Abbott Northwest Hospital in Minneapolis following a short and difficult time suffering from pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. George was born in Duluth, Minnesota; son of Dr. George L. and Margurite Kennedy. Raised in Faribault, Minnesota he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; he graduated at the University of Minnesota, studying electrical engineering. Known as Gus, he served for over three decades as an Executive Officer for the United States Table Tennis Association; his roles and service were national and international as a
Canada honours Dr. Chandra Madhosingh
Amelia Ho makes the presentation to Dr. Chandra Madhosingh (Photo: courtesy of Table Tennis Canada) by Ian Marshall, Editor The intention of Adham Sharara, President of Table Tennis Canada, was to make a presentation in person at the National Championships or at the Annual General Meeting; the reason to honour Dr. Chandra Madhosingh for his unstinting efforts over the years in promoting the sport of table tennis nationwide and beyond. It was rendered impossible owing the coronavirus pandemic but a most suitable solution was found. Resident in Vancouver, Amelia Ho, the President of the British Columbia Table Tennis Association stepped forward. She made the presentation to a surprised Dr Chandra Madhosingh, three days prior to the Annual General Meeting, held virtually on Saturday 19th
Werner Schnyder passes away
Werner Schnyder as we remember him (Photo: Richard Kalosai) by Ian Marshall, Editor It is with great sadness that the death of Switzerland's Werner Schnyder is announced; he passed away on Sunday 27th September. Born on Tuesday 19th September 1939, he was 81 years old. Succeeding Hugo Urchetti in 1999 as Treasurer of the Swaythling Club International, a role he fulfilled in a quiet reserved manner with the utmost efficiency, his efforts were appreciated by Diane Schöler, the Honorary President of the Swaythling Club International and by her husband Ebby, the current President. "We were privileged to work with Werner for so many years – from 1999 until 2019 when he retired from his duties as SCI Treasurer. He took care of the finances
Yao Zhenxu recognised
Yao Zhenxu (right) with Romania's Ella Zeller Constantinescu at the Liebherr 2018 World Team Championships (Photo: courtesy of Yao Zhenxu) by Ian Marshall, Editor Dedicated to the sport of table tennis, China’s Yao Zhenxu was named a Personal Honorary Member of the International Table Tennis Federation at the Annual General Meeting, held in the virtual mode, on Monday 28th September. The accolade was in recognition of: The role fulfilled in promoting relations between China and the United States in the era of Ping Pong Diplomacy.Holding the position of Chinese Team Manager from 1985 to 1995.Chair of the ITTF Technical Committee Chair between 1995 and 2009Vice President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association from 1995 to 2014.Tournament Director at the 1995 World Championships in Tianjin.Tournament
Diane Schöler: five World Championships
Diane Schöler, the left handed twin (Photo: Bojar Sandor) by Diane Schöler Five World Championships remain strong in my memory; the five in which I participated in together with my twin sister Rosalind 1951 ViennaIt was the first World Championships for which we both qualified; it was absolutely fantastic to take part in this event, in a beautiful city.Unbelievable, that we reached the final of the Women’s Doubles, not even 18 years old! We even beat the favourites Angelica Rozeanu and Sari Sasz from Romania! I will never forget the applause from the audience, among them British soldiers who were stationed in and near Vienna at that time. 1952 BombayThe following year, 1952 in Bombay, India, we again reached the final of the doubles
Ebby Schöler: five most difficult opponents
Classic defensive skills (Photo: Archive) by Ebby Schöler During international competitions between 1962 and 1973 in which I participated, most players did not like the various changes I made when returning the ball with backspin. However, some opponents were able to read my defensive strokes and avoided easy mistakes. Li FurongIn those days Li Fu-Jung, I played only twice – in Prague 1963 and in Nagoya 1971 – and lost both matches. His forehand attack was fabulous, very hard. He hit many more balls on the table than off! Dragutin SurbekHe was great at learning and fighting. I won the first six matches against him – until he got used to my spin – and he never congratulated me again! One match, however, was
Paul McCreery joins Swaythling Club
Paul McCreery at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (Photo: Matt Roberts / Getty Images) On duty at the World Team Championships on four consecutive occasions, commencing in 2010 in Moscow, as well as present at the 2013 World Championships in Paris, Paul McCreery is the latest name to be added to the Swaythling Club International membership list. In addition, he competed in 2017 in Luxembourg at the European Team Championships and at the 2019 European Team Championships in Nantes. Further afield, he was present at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Commonwealth Championships in Surat, as well as on the ITTF World Tour in 2013 in Stockholm and in 2017 at the ITTF Challenge Series tournament in Almeria.
Invitations on hold for major tournaments
The scene at the Liebherr 2019 World Championships in Budapest Major events cancelled or postponed owing to COVID-19, a lack of certainty when international play will return; it all adds to the dilemma faced by the International Table Tennis Federation when trying to prepare the 2021 calendar. Thus at the moment it is not possible confirm invitations for Swaythling Club members to attend World Championships and similar as per tradition; such opportunities will be advised as soon as possible. Watch this space.
