Notice of the 2024 AGM Notice is hereby given that the 2024 AGM will be held in Fiera di Roma, Italy, the venue of the World Masters Championships, on Saturday 13th July at 14.00 followed by a small reception for our members present at approx. 16.00. The Agenda for the AGM will be published on our website by the 13th June 2024 and the precise location for the AGM will be published on our website as soon as possible. We are working on the possibility to have the meeting as a hybrid meeting and will publish details of how you can attend online as soon as we can. This is also a call for submission of propositions for amendments to the Constitution. These
news
Niels Ramberg Passes the 100 mark and still going strong
Niels Ramberg at the 2023 European Veteran Championships (Photo: Brage Titlestad) At the World Veteran Championships, he owns 12 medals of which four are gold, at the European medals 18 in total, also four being gold. It is a quite incredible record, now could Niels Ramberg be set to be the all time great in any sport? On Sunday 14th April at the Danish National Championships, in the over 75 years category he won the men’s singles, the men’s doubles partnering Erling Nielsen and the mixed alongside Else Marie Vedel. Since winning the cadet boys’ singles title in 1960, he has now collected 101 national titles! Is this a record in any sport, a place in the Guinness Book of Records? Bordtennis Denmark, the ITTF member
Celebrate World Table Tennis Day
Tuesday 23rd April 2024 is World Table Tennis; pick up a racket and take part! It is the day we celebrate the reason why we all started to play, quite simply it was good fun, for many it remained good fun, for others it became a vocation. What do you have to do? Create a table tennis session, match, tournament, festival or any other creative platform to enjoy the sport with or without regular table tennis equipment. Use desks instead of table tennis tables, phones instead of rackets and be as creative as you like! Invite people of different age groups, gender identities, abilities, nationalities, backgrounds, contexts etc. to play together while celebrating the idea of diversity! World Table Tennis Day - Registration
Swaythling Club Awards Presented in Busan
Claude Bergeret alongside Fan Zhendong Proceedings concluding at the ITTF World Team Championships in Busan on Sunday 25th February, Claude Bergeret, President of the Swaythling Club International, presented the Victor Barna Trophy to Fan Zhendong, the Diane Schöler award to Sun Yingsha. The Victor Barna Best Player Memorial Award Donated by Suzy Barna in 1973, the memorial trophy was initiated to perpetuate the name of Victor Barna with the activities of the Swaythling Club International. At the time of his unexpected death in Peru in 1972, Victor Barna was the Founder President of the Club. The trophy is awarded to leading player at the World Team Championships. The Diane Schöler Memorial Award In memory of Diane Schöler, former President of the Swaythling Club International, the award
Swaythling Club Reception in Busan
Enjoying the Busan ITTF World Team Championships Finals 2024
Alan Hydes Reflects
Björne Mellström (1933-2024)
Photo: Christian Heyerdahl A most valued and respected member of the Swaythling Club International, it is with great sadness the passing of Björne Mellström is announced. Born on Friday 10th March 1933, Björne Mellström passed away on Sunday 4th February, just a few days short of his 91st birthday. He won 16 gold medals at the Swedish Championships – five men’s team, five men’s singles, two men’s doubles and four mixed doubles. The leading Swedish player of the 1950s was Tage Flisberg, men’s singles runner up at the 1954 World Championships. In the men’s singles at the 1956 Swedish National Championships, Björne Mellström beat Flisberg in the semi-finals before repeating the feat in the 1957 and 1958 finals. Notably, Björne Mellström competed in six consecutive World
New Zealand Reports
Yvonne Fogarty has kindly brought to our attention the following: The Book Collector Alongside her husband Tony Eyre and four grown up children, she was present for the launch of “The Book Collector - Reading and Living with Literature”. Photo: (left to right): Theresa Eyre Vossen, Sarah Eyre, Yvonne Fogarty, Tony Eyre, Danny Eyre, Michael Eyre The Book Collector - Reading and Living with Literature - a bibliomemoir by her husband Tony Eyre in includes Yvonne’s Pong Diplomacy story, for which he came second in the Shanghai Library competition, He was flown over for the award ceremony! Read: The Book Collector, Tony Eyre The whimsy and magic of Dunedin's second-hand bookstores Friendship First, Competition Second mmm James Morris New Year Honours 2024: Northland table tennis veteran James Morris made officer of
Enjoying the Action at the CCB Europe Top 16
Swaythling Club members, (left to right): Reto Bazzi, Michael Theis, Pedro Moura and Ina Jozepsone enjoying a break in proceedings the Europe To 16 tournament staged in Montreux on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st January. Slovenia's Darko Jorgic won the men's singles, the women's singles was won by Yuan Jianan from France. Full Details: CCB Europe Top 16 Cup