Meeting in Geneva (left to right): Reto Bazzi, Lila de Soysa, Kate (Joe Veselsky’s daughter), Claude Bergeret, Peter Veselsky (Joe Veselsky’s son), Gloria Wagener, Beverley Godfrey
Staged in the Palace of Nations in Geneva from 1.00pm to 3.00pm on Tuesday 29th April, the Permanent Mission of Slovakia with the co-operation of the Permanent Mission of Ireland hosted a special gathering to pay tribute to the extraordinary life of Joe Veselsky.
A 28-minute documentary film, edited by Martin Mózer was the centrepiece of the gathering.
Lila de Soysa, member of the Swaythling Club Executive Committee, reflected on the occasion.
I had the pleasure of attending the celebration for table tennis legend Joe Veselsky organised by the Slovak and Irish Embassies at the United Nations in Geneva on behalf of Swaythling Club International.
Joe Veselsky is a table tennis legend, the oldest table tennis player in Europe at 106 years with an extraordinary life story (film Extraordinary Joe).
Joe was a founding member and President of the Swaythling Club. It was a pleasure to meet his son Peter and daughter Kate.
Also, Claude Bergeret, President of the Swaythling Club International, addressed all present.
My name is Claude Bergeret, I was former TT Mixed Double Champion with Jacques Secrétin in 1977 but I am present here as the President of the TT Swaythling Club International.
What is the TT SCI? It is probably a unique organisation in the world of Sport. The aim of the club was and still is to develop TT but also sport in general and to promote which money cannot buy: friendship, health, love, faithfulness, loyalty and tolerance. And also to help people in need.
The club was founded at the Stockholm World TT championships on the 20th April 1967 in the presence of 22 former world championships players and is counting now over 500 members.
You will tell me… What is the connection between Joe and the SCI?Very simple answer.
He was one of the founder members and member of the 1st Executive Committee with his fellows’ friends Ichiro Ogimura from Japan, Zarko Dolinar from Yugoslavia, Hugo Urchetti from Switzerland, Bengt Grive from Sweden, Ivan Andreadis from Czechoslovakia, Dr Dieter MAURITZ from Germany under the leadership of the English TT legend Victor Barna.
And Joe is still member of the SCI in the Irish section.
With his 106 years he must be the oldest TT player still alive in the world.
For sure he is the oldest member in the SCI and the only living founder of the SCI.
But Joe has had much more connections with TT in his life.
He was National Slovak player until he moved to Ireland in 1948. I have been told that he wanted to move to Australia but because it was too long to get a visa, he finally decided to move to Ireland.
And he, then, became national player representing Ireland.And Extraordinary Joe has also this particularity… Having been President of the Slovak TT Federation and the Irish TT federation.
I know that he also was managing a soccer club in Ireland but I let you discover this in the movie.
I did not have the opportunity and the pleasure to personally meet him and I am regretting it but I am happy to be able to discover this great personage through the movie within a moment.
I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Martin Mozer, first for having had the idea and then for having realized the document film and the exhibition about Joe’s life. We must keep the memory of such a personality and Martin did it. Thank you for that.
And also I would like to thank the Permanent Mission of Slovakia and the Permanent Mission of Ireland for having organized this presentation in this Palais des Nations of the United Nations Organization.
I wish you all to enjoy the documentary and the exhibition.
Thank you for your attention.