Petra Sörling elected ITTF President

Petra Sörling addresses the Annual General Meeting (Photo: Rémy Gros) Member of the Swaythling Club International, Petra Sörling was elected President of the International Table Tennis Federation at the Annual General Meeting in Houston on Wednesday 24th November. She becomes the eighth person and the first woman to hold the office. Also, there is another first, she is the first ever reigning world champion to claim the role! Previous presidents in the guise of Japan’s Ichiro Ogimura and Xu Yinsheng both won titles at World Championships but assumed the highest office when retired from international play. In 2018 at the World Veteran Championships partnering Pia Toelhoj to success in the women’s doubles 45-49 years event. Notably as today, the event was staged in the United States,

Laszlo Pal (1936-2021)

by Anton Lehmann The well-known and popular table tennis coach, Laszlo Pal, passed away on Sunday 10th October 2021. He was 85 years old. One year ago, I met him on two occasions. Alongside other young people, it is now over 60 years since Laszlo Pal took me under his wing. He was always positive and had an eye for shortcomings, which he corrected in such a way you had the feeling of making immediate improvement. He reacted to a player’s progress with an enthusiasm that simply carried you away, spurring you to achieve even more. He was both a great table tennis coach and a good friend. The fact that I won a match against Eva Koczian, pays tribute to his efforts! Interest in