SCI_ONLINE (19_03_18)

SWAYTHLING
Issue No. 106 March 2019
Wang Hao
reflects
World champion a decade ago
Barnsley to Beijing via Bird and Boycott
Honouring a Legend
The First Lady
The Supreme Volunteer
The Fierce Competitor
Through the Decades
Finland Celebrates 80 Years
Great Champions Remembered
10
SECONDS
CHANGED THE WORLD

2

SWAYTHLING
Issue
No. 106 March 2019
Editor
Ian Marshall
Director for Press and Publicity
Richard Scruton
Contributors
Mikael Appelgren, Claude Bergeret,
Benoît Glorieux, Colin Clemett, David
Davidsohn, Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund,
Svetlana Fedorova, Stefan Feth, Steffen
Fetzner, Gigi Gaetan, Kiki Gaetan, Hyun
Junghwa, Öivind Eriksen, Gabor Gergely,
Chuck Hoey, Alan Hydes, Istvan Jonyer,
Koji Kimura, Tibor Klampar, Tibor Kreisz,
Sir Richard Don Lewis, Ingela Lundbäck,
Ma Lin, Kimiyo Matzusaki, Seijo Ono,
Jörgen Persson, Jörg Rosskopf, Thomas
Sandecki, Eberhard Schöler, Matt Solt,
Jaroslav Stanek, Robert Szentgyörgyi,
Toshiko Takeuchi, Noriko Teramoto,
Gergely Urban, Bert van der Helm, Gloria
Wagener, Jan-Ove Waldner, Wang Hao,
Harvey Webb, Hans Westling
Photographers
Butterfly, David Davidsohn, Deutscher
Tischtennis-Bund, Svetlana Fedorova,
Stefan Feth, Finland Table Tennis
Association, Kiki Gaetan, Rémy Gros,
Per Hällström, Chuck Hoey, José Hud,
Hungarian Table Tennis Association, Alan
Hydes, Ireneusz Kanabrodzki, Richard
Kalocsai, Lars Lanhed Masonit Design,
Cristian Larrain, Lithuania Table Tennis
Association, Alan Man, Monthly World
Table Tennis, Mike Rhodes, Table Tennis
England, Table Tennis Legends, Table
Tennis Scotland, Vid Ponikvar Sportida,
Bernard Renoux, Beatrice Romanescu,
Jaroslav Stanek, Bert van der Helm,
Diane Webb
Designer
Jeff Tokaz
Printer
Anton Hamran
next issue
Closing date for contributions for the next issue is Friday 6th
September 2019; please send to: Gloria Wagener, Lochnerstr.
14, DE-40878 Ratingen, Germany
Email: gloriawagsci67@web.de
Contents
Official news……………………………....................………………………………..4
Ten seconds changed the world……...............................………………..………..6
Barnsley to Beijing via Bird and Boycott.....……….................................…………..14
Honouring a legend………………………………………....................……………16
The first lady………………………………………………..................……………..18
The supreme volunteer, the fierce competitor….....................................………22
Life at top of the world………………………………........................……………….26
Through the decades………………………………...................…………………..28
Finland celebrates 80 years…………….....................……………………………36
In Memoriam…………………………………................…………………………....38
Memorable months……….............…………………………………………………42
Veterans travel the world………...................………………………………………44
Worldwide……………………………………………………………………….46
Share the knowledge
Raising the eyebrows, in this edition, the
aim has been to cover a wide variety of
subjects that may bring a nostalgic tear
to the eye or result in varied responses
that might make you smile in incredulity
or sigh in disbelief. Did some national
associations once really insist a player
had to be 18 years of age to be selected
for a World Championships?
The overall conclusion is that as you dig
deep your eyes are opened; equally conversations,
exchanges by modern electronic
methods with the learned reveal a
quite incredible range of facts. There is a
great deal of knowledge out there in the
big wide table tennis world; now share
that knowledge; nothing is unimportant
and remember, if I don’t know about it, I
can’t write about it. It’s that simple! Look
forward to hearing from you.
The visit made by Alan Hydes in 1971 to China,
fascinating
Ian Marshall, Editor
3

OFFICIAL NEWS
President’s Report- Öivind Eriksen
A busy year, such was 2018 with preparations
and the implementation of the
World Veteran Championships staged in
June in Las Vegas; it was one of the main
priorities.
Undoubtedly, the Championships proved
a great success, a magic event in a very
special tourist city. The feedback from our
players, from new veterans, competing
for the first time, was very positive. The
International Table Tennis Federation
is focusing on “Table Tennis, for All, for
Life”; this is very much a guiding principle
of the Swaythling Club International.
The Annual General Meeting will be
organized in Budapest, Hungary, during
the Liebherr 2019 World Championships.
The date is Thursday 25th April. The
Swaythling Club Executive Committee is
currently preparing for the Annual General
Meeting; we met in Ratingen, Germany
on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th of March.
Additionally, we are also holding discussions
whereby the International Table
Tennis Federation will assume responsibility
for the World Veteran Championships.
Recently, we met on Friday
25th January; the intention is to sign an
agreement in Budapest.
Our club was founded in 1967. The aims
of our club are:
………..to develop the game
………..to foster international friendship
………..to help each other whenever
possible
………..to meet frequently
………..to encourage younger players
………..to help the younger generation
understand the importance of sportsmanship
The main principles were friendship and
mutual respect for one another. From my
point of view, with eight months experience
as President, I will, together with
the other Executive Committee members,
focus 100 per cent on these aims. Our
club is unique: our members and our
sport more unique!
Öivind Eriksen (Photo: Rémy Gros)
I am looking forward to seeing many of
you in Budapest! Until then, enjoy life,
enjoy our sport and enjoy our friendship!
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Swaythling Club International will be staged on
the occasion of the Liebherr 2019 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary on
Thursday 25th April from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm. The venue is Meeting Room Two located
in the Hungexpo stadium, the venue for the tournament.
A g e n d a
1. President`s welcome
2. Appointment of scrutineers
3. Approval of minutes of the previous AGM in Halmstad
4. President`s report
5. Treasurer`s report
a) adoption of report
6. Auditor`s report
a) adoption of report
7. Adoption of budget
8. Appointment of auditors
9. Report of the World Veteran Committee Chair
10. Re-organization of sub-committees
11. Motion for amendments to the rules, if any
12. Release of the executive committee and sub-committees
13. Elections for the next two year period
a) SCI Executive
b) SCI Sub-committees
14. Any other business
A reception is planned following the Annual General Meeting; details will be announced
on the Swaythling Club International website and during the Championships
by visiting the Swaythling Club International Office. Details will be also available at the
Annual General Meeting.
Guests at 2019 European
Veteran Championships
The invited Swaythling Club International
guests for the 2019 European Veteran
Championships to be staged in Budapest
from Monday 1st to Saturday 6th July,
all playing, are Croatia’s Branka Batinic,
Denmark’s Freddy Hansen, Russia’s
Larissa Andreeva and George Evans of
Wales alongside Sweden’s Toni Borg and
Hans Westling.
Members at Liebherr 2019
World Championships
Staged in Budapest from Sunday 21st
to Sunday 29th April, the invited Swaythling
Club members are Belgium’s Pierre
Juliens, Luxembourg’s Milan Stencel and
Dusan Tigerman of the Netherlands in
addition to Israel’s Oscar Kraus and Adi
Rosenbaum.
Following the Annual General Meeting
in Budapest on Thursday 25th April, the
Swaythling Club International booklet
will be printed; any member with a new
address, telephone number or email,
is requested to kindly advise Gloria
Wagener, SCI secretary before Wednesday
31st July.
Email: gloriawagsci67@web.de
4

Invitation to 2019
European Team
Championships
Nantes will host the 2019 European
Team Championships at the 4,000 seat
Salle Sportive Métropolitaine de la Trocardière
from Tuesday 3rd to Sunday 8th
September.
The organisers extend invitations to
three Swaythling Cup members; anyone
interested should contact Øivind Eriksen,
President of the Swaythling Club International
or Gloria Wagener, Secretary.
Applications should be made no later
than Friday 31st May.
Contact:
Øivind Eriksen
Email: oivind.eriksen@skatteetaten.no
Gloria Wagener
Email: gloriawagsci67@web.de
Nantes rich in history (Photo: Bernard Renoux)
New members
We welcome Lithuania’s Rimgaudas Balais. A Board member
of the Lithuanian Table Tennis Federation since 1992, elected
President in 1994, after 23 years in office, in May 2017 Rimgaudas
Balaisa handed over office to Laimis Janciunas. Rimgaudas
Balaisa is now the Honorary President.
(Photo: Lithuania Table Tennis Association)
Hungary’s Alexa Svitacs a familiar face on the international
scene in 2016 and 2017 is recovering from a life threatening
illness; she has lost her left forearm and all her toes.
(Photo: Hungarian Table Tennis Association)
5

Japan lay in ruins; World War Two had come to a conclusion
in a most devastating manner; to this day, now over seven
decades later, in the most overwhelming fashion ever known
to mankind.
by Ian Marshall
Photos by Butterfly
6

Gradually, there was recovery
but sports equipment was at
a premium, it was simply not
available; in order to meet the
demand Hikosuke Tamasu,
one of the country’s leading
players, started to make table
tennis rackets, his belief being
that every player was different
and thus they needed equipment
to suit their particular
style.
He needed a brand name; he
needed a name that everyone
liked, a name that echoed kindness,
understanding and goodwill;
equally one that reflected
lightness, brilliance and speed.
He thought the name “Butterfly”
would be a symbol of beauty;
also, one that reflected graceful
and agile table tennis players.
Following the concept that
the butterfly pollinates numerous
flowers, allowing plants to
reproduce; thus the player is
the flower, the company provides
the equipment in order to
prosper.
The map showing how near Ujina was to ground zero
Called up for military service,
serving a period of one year
and seven months but never
sent abroad, Hikosuke Tamasu
was stationed in Ujina in
Hiroshima prefecture about
five kilometres from the area
that became known as ground
zero, the point on the map
where the Boeing B29 Superfortress
dropped the world’s
first atomic bomb on Monday
6th August 1945.
The explosion wiped out 90
per cent of the city, killing immediately
80,000 inhabitants;
tens of thousands more would
die in the following weeks and
months from radiation exposure.
Three days later, a second
Boeing B29 Superfortress
dropped another atomic bomb
on Nagasaki, killing an estimated
40,000 people. Japan’s
Emperor Hirohito announced
his country’s unconditional surrender
in a radio address on
Wednesday 15th August.
It was a narrow escape for
Hikosuke Tamasu, an estimated
ten seconds earlier the
Boeing B29 Superfortress had
flown over Ujina. Hikosuke
Tamasu wrote: “I would have
died immediately if the button
had been pushed ten seconds
earlier.”
A defining moment in the life
of Hikosuke Tamasu who witnessed
at first hand the horrors
of the after effects of the deadly
atomic bomb; the sickening
sight of the burnt, charred and
mutilated bodies, the innocent
victims of conflict.
In 1950 he founded the Tamasu
Co., Ltd. Knowledge of the
retail trade, he had owned a
sporting goods company since
1946 in Yanai city in Yamaguchi
Prefecture. He opened
a Tokyo branch in 1949 and
started selling “Butterfly” products.
Eventually he founded the
Tamasu Co., Ltd. in December
1950 with its head office in
Tokyo.
One year later in 1951, the
The first head office built in 1956 on the land where
now the headquarters are located
7

I would have died immediately
if the button had been pushed
ten seconds earlier.
Hikosuke Tamasu in 1980
first racket with the Butterfly
logo was produced by the
Tamasu Co. Ltd; since that
date the company has consistently
produced new products
and is very much the market
leader.
Just as with the personal
attention that Hikosuke Tamasu
applied in the immediate
post war years, every possible
Racket reaction with a super high-speed camera
care is taken in production, the
Hinoki one-ply blade being the
perfect example.
8
The Laws of Table Tennis
state that at least 85 per cent
of the blade by thickness shall
be of natural wood; thus it is
logical for the manufacturer to
select a wood of a high quality.
The wood grain is of great
importance when producing
the Hinoki blade; tests show
that a dense grain produces
a good bounce. Therefore,
Butterfly chooses only Hinoki
wood cut from trees over one
hundred years old! Furthermore,
they select trees that
grow on the northern side of
the Kiso Mountains, an area
where trees are subject to less
harmful rays from the sun.
Hikosuke Tamasu (right) always played a prominent
role in research and development
Attention to detail, in Tokorozawa
located in Saitama Prefecture,
where the vast majority
of rackets are produced; that
is the key. The theory followed
is that human hands hold rackets
when they play, thus human
hands make the rackets.
In an age when robots threaten
to take over the world, the
utmost care is taken in the
production of rackets; experts
experienced in the field take
both care and most importantly
pride in making sure that the
product is of the highest possible
standards.
Furthermore, the principles
The first factories built in 1954 on land where now
the head office is located. The racket factory is on the
left, the rubber factory on the right
The warehouse in Ogikubo built in 1959
established by Hikosuke Tamasu
in that every player is different
are maintained to this day. Butterfly
follows the principle that
rackets should complement the
requirements of the player and
responds to the challenge; many
world class players which the
company supports have custom-made
rackets. A perfect
example is the latest Japanese
player to hit the headlines; Tomokazu
Harimoto who, when only
15 years old, won the men’s singles
title at the Seamaster 2018
ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.
Released in January 2019,
following extensive discussions
with Tomokazu Harimoto and
his father, after some 30 rackets
were tested, a blade was produced
which gives control. It is
slightly bigger than the norm and
supports his aggressive style of
play. Furthermore, as blue is his
favourite colour; it is the colour at
the base of the handle.

Butterfly flagship products of the 1950s
Also Tomokazu Harimoto
made a special request to
have gold somewhere on the
handle; this no doubt reflects
his thirst for success and his
determination to reach the very
top of his sport. After trial and
error, the designer placed a
golden circle in the plastic lens
on the handle of the blade to
symbolise victory and meet
his request. On top of that, he
found out that one of the Chinese
characters of his family
name “Hari” is composed of
“a bow”; thus three bows were
inserted on the racket handle
inside a golden circle, meaning
that the Harimoto family
is working as one. Notably,
younger sister, Miwa Harimoto
is also supported by Butterfly.
Butterfly branding in the early years
Butterfly flagship products in 1980
Printed adverts in the early years, rubber guidance
(left) and (right) catalogues
Table Tennis Report in 1980 (left) and (right) Butterfly
Report (the predecessor of Table Tennis Report
Butterfly catalogue (left) and (right) printed items in
1980
The Butterfly head office in 1977
A wide range of blades manufactured
to suit individual
needs, it is very similar with
respect to the racket covering.
Throughout the history of
table tennis there has been the
quest to hit the ball with ever
greater speed and increased
spin. In the early days abrasive
sand paper, cork sheets, followed
by rubber with pimples
appeared on the market; then
came atomic table tennis!
At the 1951 World Championships
in Vienna, Austria’s
Waldemar Fritsch appeared
with a three millimetre thick
sponge racket, a new era had
dawned; using similar equipment,
one year later Japan’s
Hiroji Satoh was crowned
world champion in Mumbai,
the city in those days known as
Bombay.
Debate followed debate, the
end result being that the International
Table Tennis Federation
banned the use of rackets
which used only sponge, making
four millimetre the overall
thickness; the so-called sandwiched
racket was born.
Butterfly responded; they built
a Research and Development
facility, basically just for the
production of bat rubber. Quite
a daunting task faced those
involved, the major task being
to evaluate the performance of
9

the product. One method was
to allow players to try various
rubbers and give their views; a
subjective method, comments
varied from player to player. A
more objective solution was to
use technology; for this purpose
the latest machines and
instruments were installed, the
very latest being now in position.
The task is to produce the
best rubber composition, determine
the most effective pimple
formation and create the best
combination with regards to
the rubber and the sponge.
A major breakthrough came
in 1967, the year Sriver was
born, one of the most popular
bat rubbers ever produced.
Later in the 1980s the use of
so-called “speed glue” spread
like wildfire; another challenge
faced Butterfly, to produce a
rubber that would perform to
the same level without any
additives.
The Hungarian team visiting the factory in Tokorozawa where a computerised program cuts rackets with high
precision
In 1997, the world’s first high
tension rubber, Bryce, was produced;
later Tenergy using the
Akihiko Niwa carrying out tests in the Research and Development Department
Akihiko Niwa at work in the Research and Development
Department
10
Ryo Sato, the head of rubber production
Akihiko Niwa carrying out tests in the Research and
Development Department

The new Head Office opened in November 2018
aptly named “spring sponge”
was released. Now the latest,
following similar principles,
Dignics is born.
Extensive research takes
place, especially with regards
to the pimple forms in order
to provide the highest level
of performance within regulations.
Notably, in preparing
Tenergy rubber, over 120
different pimple shapes were
made; they were evaluated
and analysed, the number
which appears after the brand
name proving the best. Thus
Tenergy 05, Tenergy 25 and
Tenergy 64 hit the market.
Extensive research, attention
to detail, a racket to suit every
player; the life-long philosophy
of Hikosuke Tamasu, it lives
on. It is as strong as ever, ten
seconds changed the history
of table tennis.
The factory in Tokorozawa Prefecture
11

Hikosuke Tamasu – Memorable Sayings
“
Ping pong is for everybody.
It is easy to begin
but gets more and more
difficult as you practise it.
Table tennis is a sport with
long depth. Therefore,
once you start it, you cannot
get out of it.
”
“
Enjoy your work and feed
yourself with all encounters
with other persons
and
”
you will have a better
life.
Hikosuke Tamasu, the 1949 All Japan
mixed doubles winner
Hikosuke Tamasu in his
retirement years but still a
table tennis player
12
“
Even if you get into a
trouble, don’t get lost but
stand firm! When you
solve it, you will encounter
a bright light. Repeat solving
problems and you will
be a better person.
”
“
“
Dissatisfaction and despair
are the way downward;
thankfulness and
hope are the way upward.
”
The life’s largest opponent
is self-conceit; its strongest
ally is effort.
”
“
Table tennis is a battle
and reflection of your personality
and God.
”

Presidents of Butterfly
Giichi Tamasu (December 1950 – December 1959)
Hikosuke Tamasu (December 1959 – December
1991)
Kimihiko Tamasu (December 1991 – December
2005)
Shunsaku Yamada (December 2005 – September
2016)
Takako Osawa (September 2016 – Present Day)
Star Players
Timo Boll, twice Men’s World Cup winner,
seven times European champion, ITTF
World Tour Grand Finals winner
Jun Mizutani, a record 10 times national
champion, twice winner at the ITTF
World Tour Grand Finals
Tomokazu Harimoto at 15 years of age
ITTF World Tour Grand Finals winner,
World junior champion
Zhang Jike, Olympic Games gold medallist,
twice World champion, Men’s World
Cup winner
13

Barnsley to Beijing via Bird and Boycott
by Ian Marshall
Photos: Alan Hydes
A well-orchestrated march into arena
for the quarter-final of the women’s
event at the Liebherr 2018 World Team
Championships started proceedings on
the morning of Thursday 3rd May in the
west coast Swedish city of Halmstad. The
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
was due to face Korea Republic.
Ready for action but there was no action;
the players shook hands, greeted each
other and smiled, glowing in the best
interests of understanding and friendship.
Following a request from both national
associations and with the approval of all
concerned, it was agreed there would
be no contest and a united Korean team
would progress to the semi-final; once
again table tennis had proved a unifying
force, a vehicle to promote understanding
and co-operation between different
ideologies.
It was a momentous occasion for the
players, just as it had been almost half a
century earlier for Alan Hydes; a player
who came to prominence in the 1960s,
later becoming a pivotal member of the
England team in the era of the likes of
Denis Neale and Chester Barnes.
Alan Hydes hails from Barnsley in the
county of Yorkshire, the same part of
England as myself. We are a proud lot
and believe that there should be a unilateral
declaration of independence from the
rest of the United Kingdom.
Equally with more than justification and
of course I’m not biased, many of the
world’s great cricketers hail from the
county. One in particular, who perhaps
never reached the greatest heights as a
player but became the most famous umpire
on planet earth is a personal friend
of Alan Hydes and his great supporter,
a certain Harold Bird, more famously
known as Dickie Bird. In Yorkshire
language, the species that flaps its wings
and flies in the sky is always a “dickie
bird”, who knows why but that’s life in
the white rose county; so celebrated is
Dickie Bird that in his home village of
Staincross, not too far distant to Barnsley,
there is statue in his honour.
However, even the affable Dickie cannot
compare with the experience of his close
friend. Following the conclusion of the
1971 World Championships in Nagoya,
Alan Hydes was a member of the England
team that visited China on a goodwill
mission; it was world news. He lined up
14
alongside Tony Clayton, Trevor Taylor,
Jill Parker (formerly Jill Hammersley)
and Pauline Piddock (formerly Pauline
Hemmings); they were accompanied by
Bryan Merrett, the national coach and
Charles Wyles, at the time the Chair of
the English Table Tennis Association.
It was a crowning moment in the life of
Alan Hydes, his career starting in 1961
when his mother bought him a racket
covered with pimpled rubber at the local
Co-operative Store for the exorbitant
price of 50 shillings; that translates to
£2.50 in modern day money, about $3.22.
However, if we take inflation into account,
in 2019 it is the equivalent of paying
approximately £55.00 or US$71.00!
Make no mistake, it was an expensive
racket but it was the start of a career that
took Alan Hydes to a host of national,
international titles and over 50 countries.
It also took him to a meeting with Zhou
Enlai, the first Premier of the People’s
Republic of China and with Prince
Charles the heir to British throne.
Aged 12 years old, he joined Barnsley
Boys Club. “My parents had four children
and didn’t have much money; when I was
first starting, I was going to tournaments
knowing that if I didn’t win and get the
prize money, I wouldn’t be going to the
next one. Fortunately I won enough of
them to get to the professional level,”
explained Alan Hydes
“I used to walk up and down
the Great Wall of China, I
couldn’t really believe I was
there”
Rapid progress; in 1963 he received
the “Most Promising Junior in England”
award presented by Johnny Leach, the
former world champion and founder
member of the Swaythling Club. The
award came after, when at the time he
had become the youngest player ever
to represent the England Junior Team;
he made his debut when 15 years old
against West Germany.
“I started in the lowest division of the
Barnsley Leagues. I think the Barnsley
League has only ever had one division
nine and I played in it. People used to
laugh and say that I went from the very
bottom to playing for England in three
Alan Hydes, now the retired gentleman
years,” reminisced Alan Hydes
National selection and foreign travels,
one journey standing out above all others,
the journey to China being ground
breaking and nothing like today when I
arrive in Hong Kong, visit the tourist desk
and next day the visa is stamped in my
passport.
Some things never change, as today the
entry in 1971 was via Hong Kong, at the
time a British colony. “All members of the
team were full of excitement”, reflected
Alan Hydes. “I vividly remember catching
the train in Hong Kong to take us to the
Chinese border; on getting off the train
we passed English soldiers at the border,
we then had to walk across a desolated
bridge in the countryside not one person
in sight. After around 10 minutes we
reached the China border in Canton to be
greeted by a Chinese army band.”
The welcome received exceeded all expectations;
in the presence of Zhou Enlai
in the Great Hall of the People, alongside
the United States team, there were lavish
banquets; furthermore the English team
was also provided with its own aircraft to
visit Chinese cities!
“I used to walk up and down the Great
Wall of China; I couldn’t really believe I
was there. My dad was a miner and my
mum was a cleaner, I never thought anything
like that would happen to me. It’s
a minority sport but you do get to see the
world if you’re any good at it,” reminisced
Alan Hydes
Incredibly crowds of 20,000 attended the

Alan Hydes meets Zhou Enlai
Alan Hydes was welcomed by Prince Charles on his return to England
A sightseeing visit
matches, the England team winning four
of the six matches played on the tour.
“The Chinese world champions allowed
us to win with the words heard for the first
time friendship first, competition second,”
explained Alan Hydes. “Also, we saw
thousands of cyclists hardly any cars.”
On return to London Heathrow it was
celebrity status; the whole team was
escorted to the BBC television studios
where they were interviewed by Eamon
Andrews, arguably the most famous commentator
and presenter of the era. The
media was enchanted, hungry for information
of a country that was very much
an unknown entity, the headline was born
“Ping Pong Diplomacy”.
Later, Alan Hydes returned to China on
a Winston Churchill scholarship, he practised
at the Beijing Centre for Physical
Culture; it was there he met Zhuang Zedong,
three times the men’s singles world
champion. “He was famous in China
and a friend of Chairman Mao Zedong,”
explained Alan Hydes
Wiser for the experience and extremely
knowledgeable, in 1976 Roy Evans, ITTF
President at the time, asked Alan Hydes
to conduct coaching seminars around the
world, the first was in Egypt. It proved a
successful venture and he was invited
back the following year; there was just
one problem, the dates clashed with his
The teams on the Great Wall
honeymoon! The dilemma was quickly
solved, the authorities invited his wife, so
he married in Barnsley and then the next
day dined in Cairo! “My wife jokes she
had a honeymoon with dozens of men
from the Middle East”, smiled Alan Hydes
Player, coach and also involved in equipment
as the years progressed; following
the death of Victor Barna in 1972 in
Peru, Alan Hydes became the Marketing
Manager for Dunlop; in January 1976, the
company produced its first range of bats
with reversed sponge rubber, the “Alan
Hydes” range.
It was in that period when Alan Hydes
also met another cricketer of note who
lived in Woolley just one mile from Barnsley;
one of the world’s best ever at wielding
the willow. Some areas of the media
have considered him a controversial
character, now a commentator for BBC
Radio; he sold a table tennis table to the
Friendship first
one and only Geoff Boycott and educated
the famed sportsman on the nuances of
the game. Later Alan Hydes established
the Lion brand in the United Kingdom
Milestones for Dunlop and for Lion
but for Alan Hydes it was just a drop in
the ocean. He was part of the greatest
milestone of all, Ping Pong Diplomacy;
one that as in Halmstad in 2018 underlined
the power of table tennis, a force for
peace, goodwill and understanding.
15

ITTF Museum Honouring a Legend
by Ian Marshall
Photos: Chuck Hoey
Now in 2019 we celebrate the Liebherr
World Championships; 90 years ago
one player, a name that stands above all
others, made his debut in the tournament
and, as this year the tournament was
staged in Budapest.
Competing on home soil, at the 1929
World Championships, Victor Barna
announced his arrival and he announced
his arrival in some style. He joined forces
with Sandor Glancz, Istvan Kelen, Zoltan
Mechlovits and Miklos Szabados to win
the men’s team title, before partnering
Miklos Szabados to men’s doubles gold.
Not a bad first attempt!
Furthermore, Victor Barna had to fight
to even play in the tournament; only a
change of heart by the Hungarian Table
Tennis Association enabled him to be
selected.
In 1926, he won the boys’ singles title at
the national championships. At the time
the Hungarian Table Tennis Association
had set the limit of 18 years of age in
order to be selected for a World Championships;
the regulation stood in 1928,
thus Victor Barna was not considered for
Stockholm. A group of 15 year olds, of
whom Victor Barna was a member alongside
Laszlo Bellak, Miklos Szabados and
Istvan Kelen, made their views known;
under public pressure the Hungarian
Table Tennis Association relented.
Hindsight is a wonderful virtue but the
effects of that decision were monumental.
Comparing the achievements of players
from different eras is always a bone of
contention but one must also take into
account the times in which Victor Barna
lived. It was a career that lasted from
1929 to 1954, it was interrupted by a
seven year period from 1940 to 1946
when owing World War Two, World
Championships were not staged. Had it
not been for the period of hostilities, the
achievements of Victor Barna could have
been even more remarkable.
Arguments as to who was the greatest
player ever will continue long into the
night but if there is one player, above all
others, who influenced the development
of table tennis more than any other, it is
Victor Barna.
Born Gyözö Braun in Budapest on
Thursday 24th August 1911 but, because
of anti-Semitism in Hungary at the time,
he changed to a Hungarian sounding
name; the records set by Victor Barna
16
speak for themselves. However, it is his
contribution to the sport of table tennis
that has a higher value. Today, as we
watch the modern day player in action,
clearly we see a highly athletic sport, now
compare that situation with the late 1920s
and 1930s.
It was an era when the sport was
undergoing a transformation, changing
from an after dinner parlour game to an
athletic sport. It was changing from pingpong
to table tennis; it is in promoting
that change, perhaps unwittingly, that
Victor Barna made a contribution without
comparison.
Name the most famous photograph
ever in table tennis and one of the most
famous in the world of sport, it is the
so-called Barna backhand flick executed
with both feet off the floor at the height of
the table. It is a stroke with which Victor
Barna is synonymous but one that was
considered weak when he became the
Hungarian junior boys’ singles champion!
How many were influenced to play table
tennis by that photograph?
The term legend is well merited but it
is the legacy he bequeathed, that is the
more important. It is a legacy that makes
table tennis what it is today, dynamic, enthralling,
captivating, exciting and overall
played in the best of spirits; we describe
Victor Barna.
Victor Barna, a familiar name to all members
of the Swaythling Club International,
as a Founding Father and first President.
The greatest player of all time, an
astounding record of 40 medals at World
Championships: 22 gold, 7 silver and 11
bronze. He is a true hero and ambassador
of our sport.
Victor’s lovely wife Susie, with whom I
enjoyed a long correspondence friendship,
kindly remembered the ITTF Museum
when she passed. Susie conveyed
several very important items to the Museum,
including Victor’s ITTF Hall of Fame
plaque and his half-size St. Bride Vase,
which the ITTF presented to him for his
third World Singles title. I am pleased to
share these and other Museum holdings
in Victor’s honour.
The ITTF Museum will be very interested
to acquire other significant table tennis
items relating to Victor Barna. Help us
to preserve and honour the legacy of our
greatest ever player. Contact Chuck at
museum@ittf.com
Chuck Hoey, Honorary Curator, ITTF
Museum
The famous Barna backhand, it remains to this day,
the most celebrated photograph in the history of table
tennis.
Swaythling Cup winner in 1938 when representing
Hungary, a miniature version was presented to Victor
Barna
The Barna bat with signature inset on the handle

The gold medal won at the 1935 World Championships in
London. Victor Barna won the men’s singles, men’s doubles,
mixed doubles and men’s team titles.
A very well preserved Victor Barna shirt with original label and stitched racket
The half size silver St. Bride Vase presented to Victor
Barna after winning his third men’s singles title at a
World Championships 1935
The ITTF Barna Hall of Fame plaque
The silver vase presented to Victor
Barna at the 1932 World Championships
in Prague
A special presentation to Victor from the Duna Sport Club following the 1938 World Championships
Ceramic 3-D advertising sculpture, with an actual
Barna bat slid into the hand.
17

The First Lady
by Ian Marshall
Photos: Cristian Larrain, José Hud and Kiki Gaetan
On the evening of Sunday 3rd February,
in the Coliseo Mario “Quijote”
Morales they stood in unison, unbridled
delight; over 3,500 passionate supporters
leapt to their feet, they cheered,
applauded, blew air horns and simply
found anything on which they could lay
their hands that would deafen the person
next to them. Quite simply they went
stark, staring raving bonkers. Party time
broke out; stilt walkers entered the arena
dressed in colourful garb. No-one left;
everyone waited for the presentations to
take place.
At the Universal 2019 Pan American Cup, Kiki Gaetan received an award from the
Latin American Table Tennis Union
In the Puerto Rican city of Guaynabo, 18
year old Adriana Diaz had beaten Canada’s
Zhang Mo, the top seed, to win the
Universal 2019 Pan American Cup and
thus booked her place in the Women’s
World Cup to be staged later in the year.
Pertinently the Super Bowl had to take
second place, the American Football
final, where the winners are crowned
world champions but only teams from
the United States compete; not like table
tennis with every conceivable territory on
planet earth a member of the International
Table Tennis Federation.
18
Success for Adriana Diaz meant she
became the first player from the Caribbean,
the first from Latin America and
the first ever Puerto Rican to qualify for
the Women’s World Cup. The success
added to the girls’ singles title secured
the previous year at the Pan American
Junior Championships and the women’s
singles title at the ensuing Pan American
Championships; securing the Pan
American Cup crown meant she is the
only player in any continent anywhere in
the world ever to hold all three such titles
at the same time.
The first lady of Puerto Rico; that is
not the situation, the honour belongs to
Lisette Gaetan Rivera, always known
as Kiki, born, bred and resident in the
capital city of San Juan; she was present
to watch the action unfold. Looking more
like a lady approaching her 60th birthday,
the 83 year old was delighted with the
occasion and could reflect with a nostalgic
tear the incredible progress that the
Caribbean island has made in recent
times.
In 1977, Kiki Gaetan became the first

ever female president of a national
association in any sport in Puerto Rico;
moreover, she became the first ever
female president of a national association
affiliated to the International Table Tennis
Federation. Notably earlier in the year,
she had become Deputy President; it
was a rapid rise to the highest office. She
succeeded Samuel Alicea.
Furthermore, it was the year that witnessed
the birth of the Latin American
Table Tennis Union, the Africa – Asia –
Latin America tournament, a competition
which China initiated in 1973, was held
in Mexico City; a total of 66 delegates
attended the Assembly which formed the
union, Kiki Gaetan was the only female
member.
Kiki Gaetan, the player
Notably, it was her first attendance at the
competition, which had also been staged
in the Nigerian capital city of Lagos
previously in 1973, an event in which Kiki
Gaetan had hoped to compete having
by modern day standards started playing
table tennis rather late, in fact rather late
by the standards of six decades ago.
She started to play when at Dental
School in 1961, aged 26 years at the
time, previously, in her formative years
she had been a ballet dancer; hence
the name Kiki, her father’s name was
Libertad Gaetan Roberts, in the silent
movies era there was a dancer, Kiki
Roberts. Clearly ballet dancing was good
preparation for table tennis, balance and
movement essential features of both
disciplines. She improved and in 1973,
when 38 years of age, won the women’s
singles title at the national championships.
Thus, she staked a claim to be selected
for the tournament in Lagos but the
authorities at the time declined to send
a women’s team to Nigeria. “Actually,
I’m quite pleased I didn’t go!” smiled Kiki
Gaetan, “Everybody got sick!”
How times change; the Mayor of San
Juan is Carmen Yulin Cruz; the President
of the Puerto Rico National Olympic
Committee is Sarah Rosario. She
was present for the final in Guaynabo,
making more noise than anyone with her
Christmas party popper that flashed a red
light in approval when Adriana Diaz won
a point!
National champion but denied the
chance to compete internationally, Kiki
Gaetan turned her attentions to officialdom,
she served two terms of office as
President, the first concluding in 1979,
the second being from 1988 to 1991. An
eight year period away from office, the
reason for resigning in 1979 underlined
Kiki Gaetan’s strength of character; a
member of the National Olympic Commit-
Ichiro Ogimura, ITTF President, and Kiki Gaetan at the 1991 World Championships in Chiba
In 1989 members of National Olympic Committees met at the Hotel Caribe in San Juan (left to
right) Helios Farrell, Kiki Gaetan, Ichiro Ogimura and Misha Kapetanic
Now in 2019 the ladies are very much in evidence; pictured at the 2016 Latin American Championships in San
Juan (left to right) Carmen Yulin Cruz, the Mayor of San Juan with Sarah Rosario, President of the National
Olympic Committee and Kiki Gaetan.
19

tee at the time as President of the Puerto
Rico Table Tennis Federation, the only female
member, she strongly believed that,
as with many countries at the time, the
Caribbean island should join the boycott
of the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. It
was not the universal view of the meeting.
Notably, the United States, of which
Puerto Rico is a territory, protested at the
Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan
and was one of 66 National Olympic
Committees to uphold the boycott. Puerto
Rico competed under the Olympic flag;
they sent a symbolic delegation of one
boxer.
A return to office, eight years later, in
1989 at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San
Juan, Kiki Gaetan welcomed members of
International Olympic Committee. Notably
ITTF President at the time, Ichiro Ogimura
attended alongside Helios Farrell,
President of the Latin American Table
Tennis Union and the highly respected
Misha Kapetanic, the President of the
Yugoslav Table Tennis Association. They
were present to promote table tennis as
an Olympic sport.
Later in 1991 Kiki Gaetan was to travel
to Chiba, her one and only attendance
at a World Championships; the following
year she passed over the reins of office
having set the high standards which the
current president, Ivan Santos maintains
to the present day. Significantly, she continued
as a member of the national federation’s
committee, making major contributions
to the promotion of table tennis.
True her charming and most welcoming
character, I can highly recommend her
lemon sponge cake, she remained in
the background, contributing but never
seeking to hog the limelight.
The 1976 Africa, Asia and Latin American Championships in Mexico, far left is Palestine’s Rabie Al-Turk, for
many years a member of the ITTF Board of Directors and Deputy President of the Arab Table Tennis Union;
he is sitting next to Kenya’s Jane Pinto, a member of the ITTF President’s Advisory Council. Far right, sitting
next to Kiki Gaetan is Solimm Al-Jabhan, former President of both the Arab Table Tennis Union and the Saudi
Arabia Table Tennis Association.
Ivan Santos (left) the international player in the 1970s, now in his role as President of the Puerto Rico Table
Tennis Federation (right) he addressed all present at the Universal 2019 Pan American Cup
“I wanted everything in the federation to
be done correctly; in the 1970s we were
not recognized by official bodies, we had
just one tournament a year”, explained
Kiki Gaetan. “After finishing as President,
I wanted to stay in the family, I love table
tennis, so I served on the federation’s
committee; I attended meetings, no title,
just a member.”
Always, whether it be the Latin American
Championships in 2016 in San Juan or
the Universal 2019 Pan American Cup,
the name of Kiki Gaetan is high on the
Ivan Santos invitation list. Always and
quite rightly, he extends the invitation;
Juan Vila, President of the Latin American
Union, has to stand in line. Most importantly,
Kiki is delighted to be present,
she has many remarkable memories but
very high on the list are the events of this
year in February, a stone’s throw from
her home.
“It was out of this world, never have I
seen so many members in the public at
20
Juan Vila, President of the Latin American Table Tennis Union, a player in the 1970s (left) and (right) in 2018
competing at the Latin American Masters tournament in Santiago
a table tennis tournament in Puerto Rico;
in my time the seats were always empty,”
reflected Kiki Gaetan. “We always used
to lose, we never won anything, always
eliminated at the beginning whether it
was a Caribbean event in Mexico, Cuba
or wherever; the only time I can remember
winning was in the 1995 when I took
a youth team to Guadeloupe.”
Times in Puerto Rico have changed;
progress has been quite phenomenal but
as always, there are some things that
never change. Through difficult times and
now prosperous times, the support of Kiki
Gaetan had never wavered, from the heart
always steadfast, always reliable and always
most welcoming, the first lady.

István Jónyer
Gábor Gergely
Tibor Klampár
21

Photos: Richard Kalocsai, Vid Ponikvar Sportida, Ireneusz Kanabrobzki
Ingela Lundbäck at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Now it has become the annual journey.
The starting point being San Juan
in the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico,
where the locals believe that if the temperature
drops to 24 degrees celcius they
have reached freezing point, to a rather
different climate, the bracing fresh air of
Stockholm, where the same measure on
the thermometer, suggests it’s time to
apply layers of sun tan oil.
However, whatever the reading might be
and whether you require shorts or thermal
underwear, there is a warm welcome
in the country’s capital city as players,
coaches and officials arrive for the Seamaster
2018 ITTF World Tour Swedish
Open; the first task is to check in at the
Clarion Hotel.
Welcoming those from near and far is Ingela
Lundbäck, within seconds accreditation
and room key are provided; the task
has been completed with a smile, the
utmost goodwill and quiet efficiency.
One task completed, for most that’s
enough; not for Ingela Lundbäck, there
is never a dull moment. The next day the
tournament starts; in the setting of the
Eriksdalshallen, my eyes scan the hall, to
my right is table number one, the umpire
time and again is Ingela Lundbäck. Later,
in the afternoon as I look to my left, she
is administering matters in the call area;
then later in the week, as Blue Badge
22
umpires adorned in their new cool dude
turquoise shirts take centre stage and
the later rounds are contested, she is the
person seated in the corner turning the
numbers on the score counter. Furthermore,
just in case she has nothing to do,
she organizes the ball boys and ball girls;
returns to the call area and assists with
racket testing to fill idle moments.
Unquestionably, Ingela Lundbäck is the
supreme volunteer; she is a member of
that precious group of people who make
competitions of all types possible, not
seeking the limelight, endeavouring to
make a positive contribution.
At the recent 2018 World Veteran Championships
in Las Vegas, she was present
providing assistance in similar roles, just
as she performed in her native country.
Furthermore, in 2020 she will be present
in Bordeaux for the next edition of the
biennial gathering, not as a player as she
was in Alicante / Elche in 2016 but quite
simply fulfilling a vital role to assist in the
progress of a smooth and well organized
manner.
Simply being a member of group, most
who give their time freely, Ingela Lundbäck
delights in the camaraderie of the
occasion; they are long days in the tournament
hall but the message she exudes
in a crystal clear fashion is that it is fun!
Long may that continue.
Ingela Lundbäck lives in Luleå, where
she works most suitably in an administration
role for a local electrical company.
It is a city on the north east coast of the
country, the capital of Norrbotten, the
northernmost county in Sweden. It is
some 562 miles distant from Stockholm;
that equates to 13 hours by car or a one
hour flight. Temperatures can fall between
November and February to minus
30 degrees celcius, a time of year when
daylight is restricted to just a few hours.
Conversely in the summer, it the reverse,
in mid-July 21 degrees celcius is the
mean but it is 24 hours daylight. It is the
Land of the Midnight Sun, a part of the
world where you can witness the beauty
of the northern lights.
A volunteer, a welcoming face but make
no mistake there is another side to the
charming lady; she is a fierce competitor.
Ingela Lundbäck is a Class 5 Para athlete
who is somewhat of a convert to the table
tennis; now 43 years old, she admits that
when seven to eight years of age and
then between 13 and 15 years, she tried
the sport and found it boring!
Later in 1997, unfortunately she became
ill, diagnosed with Gorlins syndrome, a
genetic disorder which causes a limb
deficiency, being identified in 1960 by
Robert J. Gorlin and Robert W. Goltz;
hence the name. It means that Ingela
Lundbäck is confined to a wheelchair and

that is where in the Eriksdalshallen there
is a problem; sometimes the lift which
connects the mezzanine level to the
playing area has been known to break
down but only when a certain person is in
it; guess who.
Two aborted attempts at playing table
tennis, in 2004, now a Para athlete, she
tried again; encouraged by her father,
she persevered, a member of the Luleå
Pingisförening Club she emerged successful
the following year at the National
Championships in Stockholm. Success
on home soil, later in the year in June
she made her international debut at the
Norwegian Open in Oslo; she won women’s
singles class 5 and the women’s
singles open wheelchair class.
Reversed smooth rubber on the forehand,
short pimples on the backhand,
Ingela Lundbäck has enjoyed success
after success. In April 2011 she topped
the world rankings; at the London 2012
Paralympic Games she was a Women’s
Singles Class 5 bronze medallist and
with colleague Ann-Carin Ahlquist a silver
medallist in women’s team class 4-5.
Meanwhile, commencing in 2005, she
has been a gold medallist on no less than
seven occasions at the European Para
Championships.
Notably, most recently at the 2018 World
Para Championships in October in Lasko,
Slovenia, she was a silver medallist; a
tournament in which she was nursing a
shoulder injury.
A volunteer, a player and also a coach;
Luleå is not a major centre for table
tennis, the focus is more on ice hockey
and basketball where Ingela Lundbäck
delights in watching big powerful men
extol their skills. However, at home she
has a table tennis table on which she can
practise her skills, the local polar bears
being practice partners. Also she has a
twin brother who now lives in Sundsvall
some 330 miles south of Luleå, his son,
eleven years old, has recently competed
in his first tournament. True to her caring
nature, auntie bought him his racket.
Simply that sums up Ingela Lundbäck,
she puts others first, she gives one hundred
per cent effort when she plays but
more importantly she gives one hundred
per cent commitment when a volunteer;
the sport of table tennis is richer for her
delightful presence.
Career Highlights
Paralympic Games
2012 Silver – Women’s Team Class 4-5 (Anna-Carin
Ahlquist)
2012 Bronze – Women’s Singles class 5
European Championships
2015 Gold - Women’s Team Class 4-5 (Anna-Carin
Ahlquist)
2015 Bronze - Women’s Singles Class 4-5
2013 Bronze - Women’s Singles Class 4-5
2011 Gold - Women’s Singles Class 4-5
2011 Silver – Women’s Team Class 4-5 (Anna-Carin
Ahlquist)
2009 Gold - Women’s Singles Class 5
2009 Gold - Women’s Team Class 4-5 (Anna-Carin
Ahlquist)
2007 Gold - Women’s Singles Open Wheelchair
2007 Silver - Women’s Singles Class 5
2007 Bronze - Women’s Teams Class 5 (Anna-Carin
Ahlquist)
2005 Gold - Women’s Singles Open Standing
2005 Gold - Women’s Singles Class 5
World Championships
2018 Silver – Women’s Singles Class 5
2014 Silver – Women’s Team Class 5 (Anna-Carin
Ahlquist)
2014 Bronze – Women’s Singles Class 5
2010 Silver – Women’s Team Class 5 (Anna-Carin
Ahlquist)
2010 Silver – Women’s Singles class 5
The 2018 World Para Championships, success for Sweden, silver for Ingela Lundbäck (left) bronze for (right)
Anna-Carin Ahlquist.
Open International Tournaments
2018 United States: Gold – Women’s Singles
class 4-5
2016 Romania: Gold – Women’s Singles class
4-5
2016 Romania: Bronze – Women’s Team
Class 2-5 (Lucie Bouron)
2016 Spain: Silver - Women’s Singles Class
4-5
2016 Spain: Silver – Women’s Team Class 3-5
(Caroline Tabib)
Ingela Lundbäck, in serious mood, keeping the score in Stockholm
Ingela Lundbäck on duty in the call area at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour
Swedish Open.
23

Life at the top of
the world
by Matt Solt
Friday 1st March, the names of China’s
Fan Zhendong and Ding Ning appeared
at the top of the respective men’s and
women’s world rankings; thus, since the
listings were first issued in 1928, the
coveted number one spot has been held
by 42 men and 32 women.
There have been more than 360 ranking
lists published in this time, almost two
thirds being from the present century. In
the early 1990s rankings became computerised
and the process of deciding
the best players in the world was decided
through an algorithm and set of criteria,
rather than the outdated method of vote
by committee. The old ways had taken
months of discussion back and forth via
telegram and post; with the coming of the
internet it became possible to produce
ranking lists on a monthly basis, which
is exactly how it has been for some 25
years.
There have been players from 11
countries in the number one position for
men, and six countries for women. The
most prominent of these are from China;
Zhuang Zedong held the position between
December 1961 and March 1967,
for a total of 1,947 days.
However, we must acknowledge the lists
were published very infrequently at the
time; in fact no rankings were released in
1962 and 1966. It means while Zhuang
Zedong was the man on top for six consecutive
publications, his closest competition
comes from a player who has held
the position 64 times, racking up 1,945
days in total. The man is Ma Long.
Other legends of the sport who have
held the highest position for 1,000 days
or more include Wang Liqin, Jiang
Jialiang and Europe’s superstar Jan-Ove
Waldner, who dominated much of the
1990s. In the women’s scene it is Deng
Yaping, also of China, who leads with
2,772 days at the top, across 61 lists
published between May 1991 and December
1998. No woman has dominated
table tennis like Deng Yaping, although
both Romania’s Angelica Rozeanu and
China’s Zhang Yining came close, each
with over 2,500 days at number one.
Angelica Rozeanu was virtually unstoppable
in the early 1950s and Zhang
Yining won every accolade up for grabs
between 2003 and 2009. All three of
these players retired at the top. Current
women’s number one, Ding Ning, is
fourth in line, holding the lofty position for
26
Vladimir Samsonov 580 days in first place (Photo by Rémy Gros)
Men – World Ranked No.1 (January 1949 to March 2019)
Days Lists First - Last
Zhuang Zedong CHN 1947 6 Dec 61 - Mar 67
Ma Long CHN 1945 64 Jan 10 - Dec 17
Wang Liqin CHN 1676 55 Aug 00 - May 07
Jiang Jialiang CHN 1572 7 Feb 85 -Mar 89
Jan-Ove Waldner SWE 1537 21 Jun 89 -Oct 97
Guo Yuehua CHN 1257 5 Jan 79 -Jun 83
Toshiaki Tanaka JPN 1061 3 Nov 55 -Apr 58
Wang Hao CHN 1042 34 Dec 04 -Sep 11
Johnny Leach ENG 974 2 Jan 49 -Jan 51
Nobuhiko Hasegawa JPN 884 2 Apr 67 -Dec 68
Stellan Bengtsson SWE 861 3 Jul 71 - Jan 73
Rong Guotuan CHN 731 2 Dec 59 -Apr-61
Seiji Ono JPN 722 3 Jul 79 - Feb-81
Kong Linghui CHN 702 17 Jan 96 -Sep-00
Shigeo Ito JPN 697 2 Sep 69 -Dec-70
Istvan Jonyer HUN 660 2 Jun 75 -Jan-77
Vladimir Samsonov BLR 580 19 Dec 97 -Apr-00
Mitsuru Kohno JPN 555 2 Jul 77 -Jul-78
Xi Enting CHN 551 3 Dec 73 -Dec-74
Ma Lin CHN 545 18 Oct 02 -Sep-07
Jean-Michel Saive BEL 516 8 Feb 94 -Mar-96
Ichiro Ogimura JPN 495 2 Sep 54 -Jan-57
Xu Xin CHN 483 16 Jan-13 -Feb-15
Hiroji Satoh JPN 465 1 Sep 52 -Sep 52
Jörgen Persson SWE 397 6 May 91-Mar 92
Richard Bergmann ENG 365 1 Jan 50 -Jan 50
Zoltan Berczik HUN 334 1 Jan 59 - Jan 59
Timo Boll GER 333 11 Jan 03 -Mar 18
Fan Zhendong CHN 333 10 Apr 18 -Feb 19
Ferenc Sido HUN 292 1 Dec 53 -Dec 53
Cai Zhenhua CHN 224 1 Jul 84 - Jul 84
Zhang Jike CHN 217 7 Jun 12 - Dec 12
Liu Guoliang CHN 154 6 Nov 96 - Aug 99
Wang Tao CHN 139 4 Sep 95 - Dec 95
Liang Geliang CHN 114 1 Sep 76 - Sep 76
Dimitrij Ovtcharov GER 59 2 Jan 18 - Feb 18
Jean-Philippe Gatien FRA 54 1 Jul 92 - Jul 92
Werner Schlager AUT 30 1 Jun 03 - Jun 03
Men – World Ranked No.1 (July 1928 to December 1948)
Days Lists First - Last
Zoltan Mechlovits HUN 153 1 Jul 28 - Jul 28
Fred Perry ENG 1157 2 Dec 28 - Jan 30
Victor Barna HUN 2192 2 Feb 32 - Dec 33
Bohumil Vana TCH 3987 1 Feb 38 - Feb 38
(Owing to the outbreak of World War Two, no rankings lists were issued from February
1938 until January 1949, hence the long period of time in which Bohumil Vana
retained the number one ranked position)

the 50th time in February 2019. Retaining
the top spot in March, it means she has
been number one for 1,557 days and she
is still counting!
Deng Yaping is the youngest player to
ascend to the top of the women’s rankings;
she was 18 years, 3 months and 26
days old on the first occasion. Bohumil
Vana was the youngest male,
back in 1938 he represented Czechoslovakia
and achieved the honourable
position at 18 years, 11 days old!
Deng Yaping 2,772 days in top spot (Photo by Monthly World Table Tennis)
Women – World Ranked No.1 (January 1949 - March 2019)
Days Lists First - Last
Deng Yaping CHN 2772 61 May 91 - Dec 98
Angelica Rozeanu ROU 2557 6 Jan 50 - Nov 55
Zhang Yining CHN 2503 82 Jan 03 - Dec 09
Ding Ning CHN 1547 50 Nov 11 - Feb 19
Pak Yung Sun PRK 1481 6 Jun 75 - Jan 79
Wang Nan CHN 1461 46 Jan 99 - Dec 02
Kimiyo Matsuzaki JPN 1224 3 Dec 59 - May 64
Cao Yanhua CHN 1097 4 Jun 83 - May 85
Liu Shiwen CHN 998 33 Jan 10 - Sep 16
Fujie Eguchi JPN 974 3 Apr 57 - Jan 59
Sachiko Morisawa JPN 884 2 Apr 67 - Dec 68
Lin Huiqing CHN 861 3 Jul 71 - Jan 73
Tong Ling CHN 738 3 Jun 81 - Mar 83
Qiao Hong CHN 729 4 Jun 89 - Apr 91
He Zhili CHN 702 3 Jun 87 - Mar 89
Naoko Fukazu JPN 700 2 May 65 - Mar 67
Toshiko Kowada JPN 697 2 Sep 69 - Dec 70
Ge Xinai CHN 597 2 Jul 79 - Jul 80
He Yulan CHN 551 3 Dec 73 - Dec 74
Qiu Zhonghui CHN 396 1 Dec 61 - Dec 61
Gizella Farkas HUN 365 1 Jan 49 - Jan 49
Geng Lijuan CHN 364 2 Jul 86 - Jan 87
LI Xiaoxia CHN 267 9 Nov 08 - Oct 11
Zhu Yuling CHN 248 8 Nov 17 - Nov 18
Guo Yan CHN 154 5 Oct 10 - Mar 11
Chen Meng CHN 150 5 Jan 18 - Jun 18
Zhang Deying CHN 125 1 Feb 81 - Feb 81
Maria Alexandru ROU 114 1 Jan 65 - Jan 65
Tomie Okawa JPN 90 1 Jan 57 - Jan 57
Guo Yue CHN 29 1 Jan 08 - Jan 08
Throughout the years there have been
those who were considered the best
in the world but did not win the World
Championships. Vladimir Samsonov
comes to mind, he was number one for
580 days. Jean-Michel Saive, Ma Lin,
Xu Xin, Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and
Fan Zhendong are more examples; notably
many are still active, the facts could
change. The same for the women can be
said of Liu Shiwen, Zhu Yuling, and Chen
Meng.
Conversely, the players who held the
number one spot for the shortest time are
Austria’s Werner Schlager, 30 days, and
China’s Guo Yue, 29 days, both of whom
are former World Champions!
Currently, this century Japan is becoming
ever stronger; it may not be long
before they have a player at the top
of the list; the last time for the Land of
the Rising Sun was for men, Seiji Ono
in February 1981, for women Toshiko
Kowada in December 1970. Moreover,
the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are just
around the corner!
Women – World Ranked No.1 (July 1928 – December 1948)
Days Lists First - Last
Maria Mednyanszky HUN 1989 4 Jul 28 - Feb 32
Trude Pritzi AUT 3987 1 Feb 38 - Feb 38
(Owing to the outbreak of World War Two, no rankings lists were issued from February
1938 until January 1949, hence the long period of time in which Trude Pritzi retained
the number one ranked position)
Zhuang Zedong, 1,947 days at the head of the list
Photos by Rémy Gros, Monthly World Table, Vintage
Sports Pictures
27

Through
the decades
A return to Budapest, the Liebherr 2019
World Championships; a return 90 years
after the first time the Hungarian capital
city was the host. Since that occasion,
even though interrupted by global
conflict, every ten years the tournament
has always been staged. Great champions
have been crowned, history has
been written; outstanding matches have
graced the arena. Moreover, there have
been moments that make you smile in
wonder.
90 YEARS AGO 1929 - Budapest
England’s Fred Perry won the men’s singles
title; later in the tennis arena he was
to win eight Grand Slam tournaments, the
United States Open and Wimbledon each
three times plus on one occasion Australia
and France. He is the only player
to have won what could be regarded as
world title events in both tennis and table
tennis.
Ivor Montagu, ITTF President at the
time, claimed that the 1929 World Championships
was the first table tennis tournament
that Fred Perry had ever won,
because at his club in Ealing he would
usually play only a few rounds while waiting
to play in a tennis tournament, which
he thought more important.
Furthermore, it was the first appearance
for Victor Barna in a World Championships,
gold medals in the men’s team and
men’s doubles events was his reward. He
was to add to that list!
Fred Perry the winner at the first attempt
28
Finals
Men’s Singles: Fred Perry (England) bt Miklos Szabados
(Hungary) 14-21, 21-12, 23-21, 21-19
Women’s Singles: Maria Mednyanszky (Hungary) bt
Gertrude Wildam (Austria) 21-9, 21-15, 21-13
Men’s Doubles: Victor Barna / Miklos Szabados (Hungary)
bt Laszlo Bellak / Sandor Glancz (Hungary)
21-15, 21-14, 21-13
Women’s Doubles: Erika Metzger / Mona Rüster
(Germany) bt Gertrude Wildam / Fanchette Flamm
(Austria) 21-14, 21-15, 14-12
Mixed Doubles: Istvan Kelen / Anna Sipos (Hungary)
bt Laszlo Bellak / Magda Gal (Hungary) 19-21, 21-18,
21-13, 21-8
Men’s Team: Hungary 5-0 Austria (decisive contest,
ten teams competed playing on a league basis)
Hungary: Victor Barna, Sandor Glancz, Istvan Kelen,
Zoltan Mechlovits, Miklos Szabados
Austria: Manfred Feher, Paul Flussmann, Erwin Kohn,
Alfred Liebster, Robert Thum
Women’s Team: No event
Richard Bergmann beat Alojsz Ehrlich in the men’s
singles final
80 YEARS AGO 1939 - Cairo
A landmark tournament, it remains to
this day the only occasion when the
World Championships were not staged in
either Asia or Europe. Owing to the outbreak
of World War Two, it was to be the
last edition of the event until 1947 when
Paris played host.
Both Richard Bergmann and Trude Pritzi
enjoyed success. Both were born in the
Austrian capital city of Vienna. However,
following the annexation of the country
by Adolf Hitler; Richard Bergmann had
been living in England and was theoretically
stateless; Trude Pritzi represented
Germany, she partnered Hilde Bussman
to women’s doubles gold. Richard Bergmann
won the men’s singles title and
with Victor Barna the men’s doubles.
Equally, there was a quite unusual situation
for Victor Barna. He had not been
entered by his native Hungary, so he
registered himself and played under the
English flag!
Richard Bergmann beat Alojzy Ehrlich
to claim the men’s singles title, the only
occasion when two players renowned for
their defensive players have contested
a men’s singles final at a World Championships.
Moreover, this year is 100 years
since the birth of Richard Bergmann. He
was born on Thursday 10th April 1919.
Finals
Men’s Singles: Richard Bergmann (Austria) bt Alojzy
Ehrlich (Poland) 21-15, 21-7, 21-18
Women’s Singles: Vlasta Depetrisova (Czechoslovakia)
bt Trude Pritzi (Germany) 21-19, 16-21, 16-21, 21-19,
21-9
Men’s Doubles: Victor Barna / Richard Bergmann (England)
bt Miloslav Hamr / Josef Tartakower (Czechoslovakia
/ Luxembourg) 21-9, 21-11, 21-12
Women’s Doubles: Hilde Bussman / Trude Pritzi
(Germany) bt Angelica Adelstein / Sari Kolosvary
(Romania) 21-17, 21-15, 21-15
Mixed Doubles: Bohumil Vana / Vera Votrubcova
Czechoslovakia) bt Vaclav Tereba / Matia Kettnerova
(Czecholslovakia) 21-15, 21-17, 20-22, 21-11
Men’s Team: Czechoslovakia 5-1 Yugoslavia (decisive
contest, eleven teams competed playing on a league
basis)
Czechoslovakia: Miloslav Hamr, Rudolf Karlecek,
Vaclav Tereba, Bohumil Vana,
Yugoslavia: Zarko Dolinar, Tibor Harangozo, Adolf
Herskovic, Ladislav Hexner, Max Marinko
Women’s Team: Germany 3-0 Czechoslovakia (decisive
contest, five teams competed on a league basis)
Germany: Hilde Bussmann, Trude Pritzi
Czechoslovakia: Vlasta Depetrisova, Marie Kettnerova,
Vera Votrubcova
70 YEARS AGO 1949 - Stockholm
Gizi Farkas won three titles, including
retaining the women’s singles crown for
a third consecutive time. She partnered
Helen Elliot to women’s doubles gold;
one year later in Budapest, Helen Elliot
succeeded again in partnership with England’s
Dora Beregi. She remains to this
day the only Scottish player to win gold at
a World Championships.
Later, Gizi Farkas married Mihaly Lantos
a footballer. He was a full back who
played for Hungary in the golden era of
Nandor Hidegkuti, Ferenc Puskas and
Jozsef Bozsik.
Johnny Leach was crowned men’s
singles champion and thus 20 years
after Fred Perry, he became the second
English born player to win the title. We
wait for the next. Meanwhile, Bohumil
Vana created history; in all four events
for which he was eligible he finished the
runner up.
Finals
Men’s Singles: Johnny Leach (England) bt Bohumil
Vana (Czechoslovakia) 21-19, 11-21, 21-17, 14-21,
21-16
Women’s Singles: Gizi Farkas (Hungary) bt Kveta
Hrusakova (Czechoslovakia) 19-21, 18-21, 21-8,
21-9, 21-9
Men’s Doubles: Ivan Andreadis / Frantisek Tokar
(Czechoslovakia) bt Bohumi Vana / Ladislav Stipek
(Czechoslovakia) 21-18, 21-18, 23-21
Women’s Doubles: Helen Elliot / Gizi Farkas (Scotland

Hungary) bt Pinkie Barnes / Joan Crosbie (England)
21-10, 21-11, 21-13
Mixed Doubles: Ferenc Sido / Gizi Farkas (Hungary)
Bohumil Vana / Kvetsa Hrusakova (Czechoslovakia)
21-13, 21-15, 21-17
Men’s Team: Hungary 5-4 Czechoslovakia
Hungary: Jozsef Koczian, Ferenc Sido, Ferenc Soos,
Laszlo Varkonyi
Czechoslovakia: Ivan Andreadis, Max Marinko,
Ladislav Stipek, Frantisek Tokar, Bohumil Vana,
Women’s Team: United States 3-1 England
United States: Peggy McLean, Mildred Shahian,
Thelma Thall
England: Pinkie Barnes, Joan Crosby, Peggy Franks,
Adele Wood
Final
Men’s Singles: Rong Guotuan (China) bt Ferenc Sido
(Hungary) 19-21, 21-12, 21-15, 21-14
Women’s Singles: Kimiyo Matsuzaki (Japan) bt Fujie
Eguchi (Japan) 21-13, 21-7, 18-21, 21-18
Men’s Doubles: Teruo Murakami / Ichiro Ogimura
(Japan) bt Ladislav Ztipek / Ludvik Vyhnanovsky
(Czechoslovakia) 17-21, 19-21, 21-19, 21-19, 21-14
Women’s Doubles: Taeko Namba / Kazuko Yamaizumi
(Japan) bt Fujie Eguchi / Kimiyo Matsuzaki
(Japan) 21-19, 21-15, 21-14
Mixed Doubles: Ichiro Ogimura / Fujie Eguchi (Japan)
bt Teruo Murakami / Kimiyo Matsuzaki 21-14, 21-17,
21-14
Men’s Team: Japan 5-1 Hungary
Japan: Nobuya Hoshino, Teruo Murakami, Seiji
Narita, Ichiro Ogimura
Hungary: Zoltan Berczik, Zoltan Bubonyi, Laszlo
Földy, Laszlo Pigniczki, Ferenc Sido
Women’s Team: Japan 3-2 Korea Republic
Japan: Fujie Eguchi, Kimiyo Matsuzaki, Taeko Namba,
Kazuko Yamaizumi
Korea Republic: Cho Kyungcha, Choi Kyungja,
Hwang Yoolja, Lee Chonghi
Rong Guotuan became China’s first ever world
champion
50 YEARS AGO 1969 – Munich
Helen Elliot partnered Gizi Farkas to women’s
doubles success; she is Scotland’s only ever world
champion
60 YEARS AGO 1959 – Dortmund
Rong Guotuan won the men’s singles
title and thus became the first ever
Chinese world champion in any sport; he
was actually born in Hong Kong and was
motivated to play table tennis when Richard
Bergmann and Johnny Leach visited
what was in those days a British colony.
In the men’s team event, China lost to
Hungary in the semi-finals; Rong Guotuan
lost to both Zoltan Berczik and Ferenc
Sido. The Europeans believed his legs
were weak and was thus not major threat
in the men’s singles event. However,
there was a reason; on the eve of the
tournament Rong Guotuan had suffered
an injury, the result was that the doctor
had forbidden him to practise. In the
contest against Hungary he had not been
able to prepare and was not fully fit.
The win was a watershed; it marked the
birth of the modern super power.
It was the first and last. Svetlana Grinberg
and Zoja Rudnova won both the
women’s doubles and women’s team
titles; it was the first time the Soviet Union
or the now separate member countries
following dissolution in 1991 had won
gold at a World Championships. Also,
since that time no all European partnership
has ever won the women’s doubles
event and always the women’s team title
has been won by an Asian country.
Later Svetlana Grinberg under her
married name, Svetlana Fedorova won
further world titles; she was crowned over
50 years women’s singles champion at
the World Veteran Championship in 1994
in Melbourne and in 1996 in Lillehammer,
before in 2004 in Yokohama, securing the
women’s singles 60 years title.
Also, she has a unique claim to fame;
she is the only world champion ever
to become a Blue Badge International
Umpire. She officiated at the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games.
Meanwhile when Shigeo Ito beat Ebby
Schöler in the men’s singles final; it is
the only time when the men’s singles title
deciding contest has been played by two
players wearing spectacles.
Notably the England team was smartly
dressed as they travelled to Munich; they
wore uniforms provided by Marks and
Spencer.
Finals
Men’s Singles: Shigeo Ito (Japan) bt Eberhard Schöler
(West Germany) 19-21, 14-21, 21-19, 21-15, 21-9
Women’s Singles: Toshiko Kowada (Japan) bt Gabriele
Geissler (East Germany) 20-22, 21-14, 21-17,
21-8
Men’s Doubles: Hans Alser / Kjell Johansson (Sweden)
bt Nobuhiko Hasegawa / Tokio Tasaka 21-19,
17-21, 21-8, 21-12
Women’s Doubles: Svetlana Grinberg / Zoja Rudnova
(Soviet Union) bt Maria Alexandru / Eleonora Mihalca
(Romania) 17-21, 21-17, 21-15, 16-21, 21-14)
Mixed Doubles: Nobuhiko Hasegawa / Yasuko Konno
(Japan) bt Mitsuru Kohno / Saeko Hirota (21-17,
21-19, 21-19)
Men’s Team: Japan 5-3 West Germany
Japan: Nobuhiko Hasegawa, Tetsuo Inoue, Shigeo
Itoh, Kenji Kasai, Mitsuru Kohno
West Germany: Bernt Jansen, Wilfried Lieck, Martin
Ness, Eberhard Schöler
Women’s Team: Soviet Union 3-0 Romania
Soviet Union: Laima Amelina, Svetlana Grinberg, Rita
Pogosova, Zoja Rudnova
Romania: Maria Alexandru, Carmen Crisan, Eleonora
Mihalca
29

40 YEARS AGO Pyongyang 1979
Zoltan Berczik, the coach, the principal
players being Istvan Jonyer, Tibor Klampar
and Gabor Gergely, Hungary won the
men’s team title. They beat China twice,
first in the initial stage and then later in
the final. Moreover, they had strength in
depth, Janos Takacs and Tibor Kreisz
would have been front line players in
most teams of that era.
Seiji Ono was the surprise men’s singles
champion, he lost six matches in the
men’s team event; he is the most recent
Japanese player to win the title.
Finals
Men’s Singles: Seiji Ono (Japan) bt Guo Yuehua
(China) 25-23, 21-17, 18-21, walk-over
Women’s Singles: Ge Xinai (China) bt Li Song Suk
(DPR Korea) 21-10, 21-16, 21-19
Men’s Doubles: Dragutin Surbek / Anton Stipancic
(Yugoslavia) bt Istvan Jonyer / Tibor Klampar (Hungary)
21-18, 22-20, 21-16
The successful Soviet Union women’s team in in 1969 (left to right) Svetlana Grinberg, Zoja Rudnova, Sergey
Shprakh (coach), Laima Balaisyte and Rita Pogosova
Women’s Doubles: Zhang Deying / Zhang Li (China)
bt Ge Xinai / Yan Guili (China) 21-13, 21-14, 21-16
Mixed Doubles: Liang Geliang / Ge Xinai (China) bt Li
Zhenshi / Yan Guili (China) 21-16, 21-16, 21-15)
Men’s Team: Hungary 5-1 China
Hungary: Gabor Gergely, Istvan Jonyer, Tibor Klampar,
Tibor Kreisz, Janos Takacs
China: Guo Yuehua, Huang Liang, Li Zhenshi, Liang
Geliang, Lu Qiwei
Women’s Team: China 3-1 DPR Korea
China: Cao Yanhua, Ge Xinai, Zhang Deying, Zhang
Li
DPR Korea: Hong Gil Soon, Li Song Suk, Pak Yong
Ok, Pak Yung Sun
30 YEARS AGO Dortmund 1989
A golden era for European men dawned;
represented by Mikael Applegren, Jörgen
Persson and Jan-Ove Waldner, Sweden
beat the Chinese trio of Chen Longcan,
Jiang Jialiang and Teng Yi 5-0 in the
men’s team final.
Later Jan-Ove Waldner won the men’s
singles title, Jörg Rosskopf and Steffen
Fetzner secured men’s doubles gold;
they remain to this day the only male
German players ever to have won a
World Championships title. Coincidentally,
the only time when female players
representing Germany have won gold in
individual events, the year also ended
in the number nine, women’s doubles -
Erika Metzger and Mona Rüster (1929),
Hilde Bussmann and Trude Pritzi (1939).
In 1989, the red floor was introduced
based on the research of ARD Hamburg
television. They visited Dortmund for a
three day period a few months before the
The trio selected for the final (left to right) Tibor Klampar, Istvan Jonyer, Gabor Gergely
start of the tournament. They considered
films of table tennis played on blue, green
and red flooring; because it was the easiest
to see the ball, red was chosen.
At the time there were no synthetic floor
coverings as now; therefore the floor had
to be painted red.
It took weeks and a great deal of effort
throwing the ball against a standing red
plate to make sure there were no red
marks on the ball. A solution was found to
the satisfaction of all. Following the conclusion
of the tournament, the Taraflex
company was contacted; they used the
same colour for their synthetic flooring,
still used today.
The red flooring was a consequence of
the white flooring used 1969 in Munich
when 50 per cent of the German players
were defenders and when back from the
table found it difficult to see the ball!
At the Biennial General Meeting it was
agreed to change the format of the men’s
team event; from the very beginning, the
system had always been three players
per team, nine singles matches should
the contest go the full distance. Some
matches were lasting five hours; thus it
was agreed to shorten to five matches
but still with three players per team.
Notably, the format decided by 56 votes
to 32 was that the playing order should
be A v X, B v Y, doubles in which B and
C played X and Z, followed by A v Y and
30

Finals
Men’s Singles: Jan-Ove Waldner (Sweden) bt
Jörgen Persson (Sweden) 21-17, 21-18, 20-22,
18-21, 21-10
Women’s Singles: Qiao Hong (China) bt Li Bun Hui
(DPR Korea) 21-15, 14-12, 11-21, 21-16
Men’s Doubles: Men’s Doubles: Jörg Rosskopf
/ Steffen Fetzner (West Germany) bt Leszek
Kucharski / Zoran Kalinic (Poland / Yugoslavia)
18-21, 21-17, 21-19
Women’s Doubles: Deng Yaping / Qiao Hong (China)
bt Chen Jing / Hu Xiaoxin (China) 21-18, 21-19
Mixed Doubles: Mixed Doubles: Yoo Namkyu /
Hyun Junghwa (Korea Republic) bt Zoran Kalinic /
Gordana Perkucin (Yugoslavia) 21-7, 21-13)
Men’s Team: Sweden 5-0 China
Sweden: Mikael Appelgren, Peter Karlsson, Erik
Lindh, Jörgen Persson, Jan-Ove Waldner
China: Chen Longcan, Jiang Jialiang, Ma Wenge,
Teng Yi, Yu Shentong
Women’s Team: China 3-0 Korea Republic
China: Chen Jing, Chen Zihe, Hu Xiaoxin, Li
Huifen
Korea Republic: Hong Soonhwa, Hyun Junghwa,
Kim Youngmi, Kwon Misook
C v Z; no player competing in more than
two matches. A major view held was that
the system was too complicated but it
was the forerunner of what was to be
used at the Olympic Games commencing
in Beijing in 2008 when the order was A
v X, B v Y, doubles C and A or B versus
Z and X or Y, followed by A or B versus Z
and C versus X or Y.
The format was used in 1991 in Chiba;
it proved unsuitable, at the Biennial
General Meeting in 1993 the present day
system was introduced.
20 YEARS AGO Eindhoven 1999
A watershed in the history of the World
Championships, it was the first time that
only individual events had been held,
the policy of alternating with team events
on an annual basis, each tournament
lasting eight days was initiated. Eindhoven
staged the event with little notice;
the tournament had been scheduled for
Belgrade but civil war in the country then
known as Yugoslavia, prevented matters
proceeding.
Zhang Yining and Zhang Yingying
caused confusion; even the ITTF was
baffled, a world ranking list had to be
amended because it was thought they
were the same person. Later in the year
they became ideal doubles partners,
Zhang Yining a right handed shakehands
grip player, Zhang Yingying a left
handed pen-holder; they finished in fourth
position on the ITTF World Tour Standings.
It was to be the only appearance for
Zhang Yingying in a World Championships
but she had the consolation of
beating her illustrious colleague to the top
step of the podium. Zhang Yining had to
wait one year when, as a member of the
Chinese squad, she won gold at the 2000
World Team Championships in Kuala
Lumpur.
At the Annual General Meeting, Adham
Sharara was officially elected ITTF President.
Finals
Men’s Singles: Liu Guoliang (China) bt Ma Lin
(China) 21-16, 19-21, 19-21, 21-16, 24-22
Women’s Singles: Wang Nan (China) bt Zhang
Yining (China) 15-21, 21-14, 21-5, 21-12, 21-11
Men’s Doubles: Kong Linghui / Liu Guoliang (China)
bt Wang Liqin / Yan Sen (China) 19-21, 21-16,
18-21, 21-10, 21-18
Women’s Doubles: Li Ju / Wang Nan (China) bt
Yang Ying /Sun Jin (China) 24-20, 21-14, 21-19
Women’s Team: China 3-0 Korea Republic” Women’s
Team
Mixed Doubles: Ma Lin / Zhang Yingying (China)
bt Feng Zhe / Sun Jin (China) 21-15, 21-19, 9-21,
21-15
China: Chen Jing, Chen Zihe, Hu Xiaoxin, Li
Huifen
The dawn of new era, Sweden, champions in Dortmund (left to right) Jan-Ove Waldner, Glen Östh (coach),
Mikael Appelgren, Jörgen Persson, Erik Lindh, Peter Karlsson
Liu Guoliang, the reigning Olympic champion added
the World title
31

10 YEARS AGO Yokohama 2009
China dominated; they contested every
final. In the men’s singles and women’s
singles events they provided all four
semi-finalists; Wang Hao and Wang
Liqin were the respective gold and silver
medallists, for Ma Long and Ma Lin it was
bronze. It was the same in the women’s
singles competition, Zhang Yining, Liu
Shiwen, Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia formed
the penultimate round line-up; Zhang
Yining beating Guo Yue to claim the title.
Seiya Kishikawa and Jun Mizutani
emerged men’s doubles bronze medallists
but for Japan it was the efforts of
three teenagers that attracted the attention.
In the men’s singles event, 14 year
old Koki Niwa, having reserved a place in
the main draw, beat Argentina’s Liu Song
in the opening round, before losing in six
games to Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
Similarly,17 years of age, in the fourth
round Kenta Matsudaira extended Ma
Lin, Olympic champion at the time, the
full seven games distance, only losing
by the minimal two point margin in the
decider.
Outstanding performances but nothing
compared with that of 16 year old Kasumi
Ishikawa. She performed the recovery of
the tournament. Facing Hong Kong’s Tie
Yana in the second round of the women’s
singles event she was down three games
to nil and trailed 3-7 in the fourth. She recovered,
won the match and progressed
to the quarter-finals where Zhang Yining,
the champion elect, ended progress.
Meanwhile two future World and Olympic
champions won their first medals at a
World Championships, both silver. Zhang
Jike was the mixed doubles runner up in
partnership with Mu Zi; for Ding Ning it
was women’s doubles second place in
harness with Guo Yan.
Finals
Men’s Singles: Wang Hao (China) bt Wang Liqin
(China) 11-9, 13-11, 11-5, 11-9
Women’s Singles: Zhang Yining (China) bt Guo
Yue (China) 10-12, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9)
Men’s Doubles: Chen Qi / Wang Hao (China) bt
Ma Long / Xu Xin (China) 6-11, 13-11, 13-11, 11-5,
11-9
Women’s Doubles: Guo Yue / Li Xiaoxia (China)
bt Ding Ning / Guo Yan (China) 11-8, 12-10, 11-4,
3-11, 11-7
Mixed Doubles: Cao Zhen / Li Ping (China) bt
Zhang Jike / Mu Zi (China) 11-6, 4-11, 11-7, 9-11,
13-11, 11-8)
32
World champions
memories live long
Kimiyo Matsuzaki, women’s singles and women’s
team gold
1959 Dortmund - Kimiyo Matsuzaki (Women’s
Singles, Women’s Team)
Fujie Eguchi was the ace player in the
Japanese team and my idol; she was my
opponent in the women’s singles final.
Four months before the World Championships
in Dortmund I was deeply moved,
I beat Fujie in the final of the national
championships. Strangely, after the final
at the World Championships, I didn’t
feel a great sense of delight, because in
Dortmund I had been given so much help
and guidance by Fujie.
1969 Munich - Svetlana Fedorova (former
Svetlana Grinberg – Women’s Team, Women’s
Doubles)
It was the first time ever for the Soviet
Union, something no member of the team
expected; no one thought about actually
winning in the final, we just went out
there to try and show how well we could
play. Our strength was that we were not
under pressure; in the final we arrived
at the table and played in a very relaxed
manner; there were no nerves, no fear.
When we won it was a moment for great
rejoicing; we had beaten the Koreans, the
number one in the world and the Romanians,
the number one in Europe!
Hearing the national anthem, watching
the national flag being raised, I was filled
with a sense of incredible pride.
Zoja and myself had very different styles;
Zoja was a pen-holder, she had some
problems when playing Asians but she
dominated the Europeans. I had many
different types of service so that gave us
an advantage
Toshiko Kowada crowned women’s singles champion
in Munich
1969 Munich - Toshiko Takeuchi (former
Toshiko Kowada – Women’s Singles)
I played Gabriele Geissler in the final
from East Germany. I played with a great
deal of determination because I thought
I must keep the succession of Japanese
players; Naoko Fukatsu had won in 1965,
Sachiko Morisawa in 1967. In the later
stages of the first game, Gabriele deliberately
made a mistake when serving,
the umpire had called fault on one of my
services and she thought it was a wrong
decision. I greatly admired her fair play
spirit at the time, later she had the same
attitude as a coach.
1979 Pyongyang – Tibor Klampar
(Men’s Team)
Winning in ’79 was a very special for us.
Some key moments boosted our confidence,
beating China in the group stage
gave us a massive boost of self–confidence
and confirmed our preparation was
right for the Worlds.
Next hurdle was maybe when we beat
North Korea comfortably. We were very
confident going into the final. We saw the
Chinese players were scared and looked
pale before the final and even when the
final started. In the final the most memorable
match was my last match. I lost the
first game against Lu Qiwei and came
back to win the match and the title; the
whole team ran onto the court and threw
me up in the air! Whenever I close my
eyes even today this memory is so fresh,
it feels like it is happening to me right
now.
1979 Pyongyang – Istvan Jonyer (Men’s
Team)
Zoltan Berczik prepared us match by

match, very strict; he kept team spirit and
motivation at a very high level. He made
sure we took one step at a time which
was very important.
A flying start, it was one of the most
crucial turning points of the World Championships,
beating China 5-2 in the group
stage gave us self-belief; we let the world
know that the Hungarians were there to
create history.
I was the oldest in the team so I was the
leader and kept everyone on their toes.
The chemistry of our team was so great,
after the good start we improved match
by match. To be honest, I had no doubts
after the first match that we would be
able to create history, all we had to do
just keep our focus and concentration.
I have a regret; in the final against Guo
Yuehua, I won the first game, lost a close
second and then was up 10-6 in the third.
There was a controversial decision over
an edge ball and I lost that match. All in
all, it was one of the greatest moments in
my life.
Seiji Ono, the somewhat surprise men’s singles winner in Pyongyang
1979 Pyongyang – Gabor Gergely
(Men’s Team)
We felt very positive after the first group
match we won against China 5-2; we saw
them looking really scared, shaking completely
devastated. They looked hopeless.
In the final I had the biggest task
as I went on first. After playing them in a
group, we knew we needed a good start
to put the pressure on them. It helped me
a lot the fact in the group stage we sacrificed
my match to analyse my opponent,
Guo Yuehua, his service game and exploit
all his weaknesses. Yeah definitely
the best memory from the final was when
I walked off with the victory and we had a
good start.
Regarding this World Championship, it
is worth mentioning not the tournament
itself but the way we made it there. We
were a complete team; all five of us could
play any time in any match; that gave us
more confidence. The way Zoltan Berczik
prepared us for this championship it was
different to any other time. He kept giving
us all positive thoughts, how strong we
were and how good was our preparation
for this World Championships. Zoltan
Berczik kept us on the ground and prepared
us from match to match, we ran
together, we had team talks before every
match.
Playing on home soil, Jörg Rosskopf (left) and (right) Steffen Fetzner celebrate winning the final point (Photo:
Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund)
did was good and correct. He gave us
lots of positives and let us play our own
way.
1979 Pyongyang – Tibor Kreisz
(Men’s Team)
This was the very first World Championships
of my life and it turned out to be an
unforgettable experience. We went there
a month before the start and prepared
in Korea so we stayed longer there than
any other team. Most memorable was
when Klampar won and we all ran on the
court jumping around and throwing him
in the air.
Before the final he said: “boys we
worked our socks off over the past year,
all of you worked hard, you are on top
form, go and get them. We all saw them
after the group match, their faces and
body language, there is no way they can
beat us.” During the final he let us play,
after every point he confirmed what we
Another was we heard the rumour the
Chinese coach was asking tips from the
Yugoslavian coach before the final; then
we felt they were really nervous. As I was
a defender we knew they could prepare
against defenders. They decided to play
with Lu Qiwei and not with their defender
who still had a good chance against us.
Hungary celebrates in Pyongyang
33

Lu had won lots of competitions. They
went along with him but he was completely
inexperienced and he froze in the
final.
Team spirit was very good we spent 250
days together preparing, we had good
practice partners, very good physical
training. As a result I did not lose a match
in the team event. We had a very important
victory over Romania 5-3, where
Gergely lost two matches and I came
to the rescue. To sum it up a key factor
was we were a five player team and any
of us could play any time; Berczik could
rest the players and pick the best team
for the fixtures accordingly the best way
possible.
During the final as I remember, Berczik
was so nervous, when we started he
even lit up a cigarette on the bench! As
the final unfolded he became calmer and
calmer. He was nervous but in a positive
way; this is hard to describe but this is
what we felt. Having him on the bench
was very good he kept us on track and
focused for every point.
1979 Pyongyang - Seiji Ono
(Men’s Singles)
In Pyongyang it was the first time I had
participated in a World Championships. I
can remember how I was really focused
in the final so I wasn’t thinking about
winning. I just wanted to play well against
Guo Yuehua. It was such a happy moment,
I became world champion; I won
on the world stage. I am thankful that I
could play the wonderful sport of table
tennis, I wish everyone in the table tennis
world the very best and I hope the sport
will continue to prosper and develop.
1989 Dortmund – Jan-Ove Waldner
(Men’s Team, Men’s Singles)
I won in in 1989 but it is easier to remember
when you have played and beat
foreign players. I had a close match in
the second round against Korea’s Kang
Hee Chan even though I led 2-0. It was
the same in the final, I was 2-0 ahead
and had match point in the third. Jörgen
came back to 2-2; in the fifth game I had
a good start, I think I won 21-10 in the
final game.
Actually, I do not have any special
memory of the final day but of course
the quarter-final against Tibor Klampar
is never to be forgotten. I was down big
numbers in the first, the third and fourth
but I won them all! In the first 8-15 and
15-19 but won 21-19. In the third down
10-14 and won 21-18. In the fourth 11-17
and won 22-20!
I didn’t beat any Chinese, Jörgen beat
four of them but I was not at all frightened
to play them, especially after we won the
team final 5-0; that gave us a lot of confidence.
The Chinese were shaken.
Really 1989 was not my best tournament.
I have played much better when I
did not win! In 1989 it was my first men’s
singles world title but my gold medal at
the 1992 Olympics and my second world
title in 1997 when I won all my seven
games 3-0 is now what is most in my
memory; 21-0 is hard to beat!
Later I became European champion in
1996 Bratislava. In 2000 in Kuala Lumpur
we beat China 3-2 in the final, alongside
1989 when we won 5-0; they are all
strong in my memory.
Svetlana Fedorova umpired at the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games, few realized her maiden name
Grinberg
1989 Dortmund – Jörgen Persson
(Men’s Team)
The atmosphere, the fans some 8,000
or more, it was a fantastic feeling; all
three of us had been playing that year in
the German Bundesliga, so we had the
crowd’s support.
It was our opportunity. In 1983, 1985
and 1987 Sweden had lost in each final
to China, in those finals we had won
just one individual match! We won the
important matches, we won 5-0 but the
first four matches all went the full three
games.
Appelgren gave us a great start by
beating Jiang Jialiang; then Waldner beat
Teng Yi; I had to play Chen Longcan, if I
could win we would be 3-0 up and difficult
for China to recover; if it was 2-1 then
they could come back. Chen Longcan,
his team losing, was under more pressure
than me. Simply we just knew it was
a great opportunity.
1989 Dortmund – Mikael Appelgren (Men’s
Team)
I had been in Pyongyang, North Korea in
1979 to see the Hungarians beat China
5-1; I saw that our playing style with
heavy topspin could be a real benefit to
us. After losing in 1983, 1985 and 1987
to China, each year we were getting
closer.
Jan-Ove Waldner en route to winning the men’s singles title in Dortmund
In Dortmund 1989 we had five players
who were in great form but after the
group stage Waldner, Persson and me
played rest of the matches. Our coach
Glenn Östh wanted a good start in the
34

A decade ago Wang Hao won in Yokohama
Zhang Yingying (left) and (right) Ma Lin won mixed doubles gold
final and asked me if I could start, I
played first in most of the matches and
won them all. Now against China I started
against Jiang Jialiang, one month earlier I
had beaten him.
The stadium was packed; there were
many Swedes there; so we had really
good support. Leading 3-0 we could see
the Chinese team was getting more and
more nervous; after all table tennis is
the national sport in China. There were
250,000,000 watching; I played the last
match, I beat Chen Longcan. We didn’t
know how big it was in Sweden until we
got back. Even today journalists say it
was the most sensational win in Swedish
sporting history.
1989 Dortmund – Hyun Jungwha
(Mixed Doubles)
I was extremely happy, as this was the
first mixed doubles gold medal for my
country at a World Championships. I
recall the perfect partnership with Yoo
Namkyu which brought us the victory.
1989 Dortmund – Jörg Rosskopf
(Men’s Doubles)
In the third game we were 20-16 up; I
thought if we lose now on home soil it
would be incredibly tough. Later, in 1992
we lost in the Olympic final in Barcelona
and that was hard to accept.
The pressure was so high in the final in
Dortmund but not before the tournament
started, we were not seeded; the Swedes
and the Chinese were the favourites. We
were not thinking of winning but when
we beat the Chinese in the semi-final we
knew we had a big chance, maybe our
only chance to be world champions.
1989 Dortmund – Steffen Fetzner
(Men’s Doubles)
Recently, Rossi and me had a date with
a television crew regarding the 30th jubilee
of the 1989 World Championships.
They showed us the match point and
we reminisced; so many good memories
came flooding back.
Indeed, it was a dramatic final with a
happy end. I don’t remember that much
because during the match we were
focused so much like in a tunnel. Now
when I have seen sequences of the
match I remember that I didn’t hit one
good ball on the table until middle of
second game. I was so nervous.
After I hit my first backhand top spin I
knew that I was back in the game and I
played better and better. Undoubtedly,
the tremendous support of more than
10,000 spectators made the two points
difference. The win was both unexpected
and sensational; it’s a performance that is
still unmatched by German players to the
present day.
1999 Eindhoven Ma Lin (Mixed Doubles)
The 1999 World Championships was
very special to me, it was my first world
title when I won with Zhang Yingying. You
know it is always difficult to win the first
time. I made it through that time which
was a very good foundation for my future
career. Actually, we lost many times in
the internal competitions. We were very
young at the time, so we just did our best
to challenge others. Really we exceeded
our expectations.
2009 Yokohama – Wang Hao
(Men’s Singles)
It was new beginning after the Beijing
2008 Olympics; it was a very crucial time
in my table tennis career. Every player
wanted to have a good start for the
new cycle. I was very satisfied with my
performance there. I realized my dream
of winning the world championships title
both in singles and doubles.
The most unforgettable match for me
was the men’s singles final. My opponent
was Wang Liqin. I had beaten him several
times before but I was still very nervous
as that was my first World Championships
final. In 2007 I lost to Ma Lin in the
semi-final. I did not sleep well the night
before the final. Luckily I proved myself
by winning the men’s singles title.
In 2009 Zhang Yining added to her Olympic Games
title won one year earlier
Photos by: Butterfly, Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund,
Monthly World Table Tennis, Svetlana Fedorova, ITTF
Archives, Table Tennis England, Table Tennis Legends,
Table Tennis Scotland
35

Finland
celebrates
80 years
by Sir Richard Don Lewis
On Saturday 27th October, the
Finnish Table Tennis Association
celebrated the 80th
Anniversary of its foundation, a
huge party being organised in the President
Hotel, a splendid building located
in central Helsinki next to the Finnish
Parliament.
Sir Richard Don Lewis with members of the most successful Finnish women’s team that finished in 13th place
at the 1981 World Championships in Novi Sad and in eight position at the 1982 European Championships in
Budapest
In my capacity as a member of the
Swaythling Club, I was invited by fellow
Swaythling member Bengt Ahti to attend
this auspicious occasion, along with
my wife. I had played in various Finnish
tournaments from 1953 to 1955 and had
accompanied the Finnish team in half
a dozen World Championships in such
places as Prague, Sarajevo, Ljubljana,
Tokyo and Pyongyang, North Korea; I
had enjoyed personal relationships with
a large number of Finnish players and
looked forward to meeting them again
after the passing of 65 years.
My good friend Esa Ellonen, former
Finnish Champion and long-time President
of the Association, unfortunately
died one month before the anniversary
event. He was naturally greatly missed
at the party, not only for his playing talent
and noteworthy service as President
but also for his unique and humorous
personality.
Many other famous players had also
passed away in the period but happily
there appeared a goodly number of survivors
from the halcyon days when Finnish
table tennis pioneers were making a
name for themselves through national
enthusiasm for the sport and the elegant
style many leading players adopted. In
1953 when I first participated in Finnish
table tennis (I was fresh from playing in
the English University Championships in
1951) I was struck by the clean attacking
style of such players as Tapio Penttilä,
Esa Ellonen (Victor Barna backhand),
Leif Malmborg, Juhani Berg and others,
as well as the solid, correct defence of
Pertti Tuominen and Kalevi Lehtonen,
worthy imitators of Richard Bergmann.
Technique has always been a hallmark
of Finnish sport, whether in long distance
running, javelin throwing, formula
36
Esa Ellonen, the official
one driving; Finland’s early table tennis
players maintained this tradition. There
were no pen-hold grip players; the first
Finns often were destined to lose against
experienced teams from such nations as
Hungary, Czechoslovakia and England
but at least they lost in style and did
rather well considering Finland is a small
country with a limited number of players.
Memorable was the occasion when they
won the Plate Competition in Prague in
1976 with Pertti Kunnas winning the last
decisive game after being 20-15 down in
the third! This event cost me two bottles
of champagne!
The anniversary party was a splendid
success. It could have been Hollywood.
The food was superb, the music first
class, the speeches nostalgic. The
evening was efficiently stage managed by
the President, Esko Heikkinen, ably supported
by Bengt Ahti, and Sonja Grefberg
(Finland’s best ever woman player).
I had the pleasure of renewing my friendships
with Tapio Penttilä, Stig Malmborg,
Jouko Manni, Lars Långstadt, Martti Autio,
the Grefberg sisters and many others.
I also met, for the first time, octogenarian
Kai Merimaa, current European gold
medallist veteran.
The celebrations, speeches and pres
entations went on until midnight. The
atmosphere was one of extreme joviality
and friendship. One was left with the
impression that Finnish table tennis is in
excellent health among its younger members
and the very (competitive) oldest!

Members of the Swaythling Club International at the celebration: (left to right) Kimmo Hovi, Jouko Manni, Sonja Grefberg, Esko Heikkinen, Petra Sörling, Sir Richard
Lewis, Ronald Kramer, Martti Autio, Bengt Ahti
(left to right) Heike Ahlert, Ronald Kramer, Sonja Grefberg and Petra Sörling
(left to right) Sonja Grefberg, Ronald Kramer, Petra Sörling, Esko Heikkinen,
Heike Ahlert
Women’s singles national champions from the most recent to the most senior: (left to right) Annika Lundström, Hanna Nyberg, Pia Källman (Malmberg), Anni Bölenius
(Komulainen), Katja Kohonen, Eva Malmberg-Tulonen, Sonja Grefberg, Monica Portin (Grefberg), Maija Valtonen (Nieminen), Liisa Järvenpää.
Men’s Singles national champions from the most recent to the most senior: (left to right) Benedek Olah, Roope Kantola, Mika Räsänen, Tom Lundström, Linus Eriksson,
Pasi Valasti (nine gold), Mika Pyykkö, Stefan Söderberg, Martti Autio, Lars Långstedt, Tapio Penttilä. (Photos: Lithuania Table Tennis Association)
37

In Memoriam
Zhang Li, achievements unsurpassed
by Ian Marshall
Zhang Li
Born in 1951 in Henan Province, the
most decorated member of the Chinese
women’s team throughout the 1970s;
resident in the San Francisco Bay Area
of California, surrounded by her family,
Zhang Li passed away on Wednesday
13th February.
Although not a smoker and lived a
healthy life, undergoing treatment for
approaching three and a half years,
she was diagnosed with stage four lung
cancer through a genetic mutation in
September 2015.
Only 13 years old, she was selected
for the provincial team, one year later
she joined the national team, moving to
Beijing. She made her debut at a World
Championships in Nagoya in 1971 when
20 years of age, playing in an era when
the tournament was staged every two
years.
Later in 1973 in Sarajevo, alongside Hu
Yulan, Zheng Huaiying and Zheng Minzhi,
she secured a women’s team silver
medal, before progressing to the women’s
singles semi-finals. She was beaten
by the champion elect, Hu Yulan. Two
years later in Calcutta; then in 1977 in
Birmingham and in 1979 in Pyongyang,
she was a member of the Chinese team
that won the women’s team title; the only
member to be selected for all five World
Championships between 1971 and 1979.
Notably, in Calcutta, it was only the second
time when China had won the women’s
team title; the only prior occasion
was in 1965 in Ljubljana; being a member
of the outfit that won three in a row was
ground breaking. It set the standard for
the modern era.
Furthermore in Pyongyang, she won
women’s doubles gold partnering Zhang
Deying, having in 1975 and 1977 been
38
Zhang Li
the women’s singles runner up; on both
occasions she lost to DPR Korea’s Pak
Yun Sun. It was a time when China was
seeking to promote good relations with
DPR Korea, friendship first was very
much on the agenda.
Additionally in Calcutta, joining forces
with Liang Geliang she was a mixed
doubles bronze medallist, losing to the
Soviet Union’s Sarkis Sarkhayan and
Elmira Antonian, the eventual runners up.
Likewise in Birmingham in the women’s
doubles event, partnering Ge Xinai, the
pair experienced a semi-final defeat at
the hands of DPR Korea’s Pak Yong Ok
and China’s Yang Ying; the partnership
also underlining China’s policy at the
time of friendship and promoting good
relations with DPR Korea.
Success at World Championships,
additionally she enjoyed success at both
the Asian Games and at the Asian Championships.
Zhang Li with grandson, Mika Feth, her pride and joy
At the Asian Games, she competed in
1974 in Tehran and in 1978 in Bangkok,
only two appearances but no less than
seven gold medals; it is a record that no
player can match and stands to this day.
In 1974, lining up alongside Hu Yulan,
Huang Xiping and Zheng Huaiying, she
was a member of the gold medal winning
women’s team; later in the tournament
she won the women’s doubles title partnering
Zheng Huaiying, before concluding
matters by being crowned women’s
singles champion.
Three gold medals in Tehran, in Bangkok
it was a full house. She retained her
women’s singles title, after earlier in the
tournament having won women’s team
gold alongside Cao Yanhua, Yang Ying
and Zhang Deying, the mixed doubles
with Guo Yuehua and the women’s doubles
in partnership with Zhang Deying.
Additionally at the Asian Championships
there was outstanding success. In 1974
in Yokohama, she won the women’s
doubles title partnering Zheng Huaiying,
whilst securing silver in the mixed doubles
with her future husband Li Zhenshi.
Also she gained the same colour medal
in the women’s team competition.
Four years later in 1976 in Pyongyang,
she won the women’s singles title, having
been a silver medallist in the women’s
team event and in the women’s doubles
when partnering Zhang Deying. Later in
1978 in Kuala Lumpur, she won women’s
team gold, mixed doubles silver with Guo
Yuehua, in addition to bronze in both the
women’s singles and women’s doubles
events, again in the latter, she partnered
Zhang Deying.
She retired in 1979 and married Li Zhenshi,
winner of four World Championship

gold medals. In 1981 their daughter Li
Nan was born; from 1981 to 1983 Zhang
Li attended sports’ college before in the
latter year becoming coach for the Chinese
national junior team.
Additionally she was a member of the
national Congress for five years, representing
Henan Province; she became
coach for the Chinese women’s team
from 1985 to 1991, helping develop such
players as Gao Jun and Liu Wei. Following
the World Championships in 1991 in
Chiba, the family moved to the United
States; from 1991 to 1996 she became
the coach of the United States women’s
team. Later in 2008 she formed the World
Champions Table Tennis Academy, the
first full time table tennis academy in
North America
She leaves behind husband Li Zhenshi
and daughter Li Nan who is married to
Stefan Feth, one of the United States
national coaches, in particular the guiding
hand of Kanak Jha, a player Zhang
Li also advised. They have one son
Mika Feth, in Chinese Li Yu Ming, the
grandson bringing Zhang Li the greatest
moments of joy in her later years.
An outstanding career, overall 26 medals
in major international competitions, in
particular the record in the Asian Games
underlines that fact. She stands alongside
the likes of Deng Yaping, Wang Nan
and Zhang Yining. She retired before
table tennis was part of the Olympic
Games; we can only surmise but surely
had the opportunity been afforded, she
would have been a gold medallist?
Humble, thoughtful, caring, selfless, a
kind heart, her strength unparalleled; she
is sadly missed.
In order to honour Zhang Li, donations
are requested to be sent to Stanford
Lung Cancer Research in her name to
fund and bring awareness to this insidious
deadly disease. The website address
is: makeagift.stanford.edu/get/page/
makeagift.
Member of a golden
Hungarian era,
Judit Magos
passes away
by Ian Marshall
Born in Budapest on Monday 19th February
1951, Judit Magos passed away
on Thursday 18th October; she was 67
years old.
Rather different to the norm, Judit Magos
was a right handed pen-hold grip player,
in some ways similar to Zoja Rudnova,
a player of a generation earlier who
employed a similar style to great effect,
when representing the country then
known as the Soviet Union.
It was in her home city of Budapest,
when 13 years old that Judit Magos
started to play table tennis, rather late
by modern day standards; she improved
quickly, established herself in the national
team and competed in what could be
regarded as a third golden era from
Hungary.
Ever since the first World Championships
were held in 1926 in London,
Hungary had been the dominant force
in the days prior to World War Two, the
Judit Magos
names of Roland Jacobi, Zoltan Mechlovits,
Victor Barna, Miklos Szabados, Anna
Sipos and of course Maria Mednyansky,
like Judit Magos a pen-holder, roll of the
tongue.
Later in the immediate post war years,
Ferenc Sido, Ferenc Soos and Gizi
Farkas succeeded at the very highest
levels; two great ages for Hungary, then
came the third, the career of Judit Magos,
the times of Gabor Gergely, Istvan Jonyer
and Tibor Klampar.
In that era, in a period of just over a
decade, Judit Magos was one of the most
prominent figures at the European Championships.
In 1972 in Rotterdam, she won
both women’s team and women’s doubles
gold. Two years later in 1974 in Novi Sad
it was bronze in the women’s team event
but most significantly, once again with
Henriette Lotaller, she retained the women’s
doubles title, before reserving the top
step of the women’s singles podium.
Four years later when the European
Championships were staged in Duisburg
she enjoyed more success. She emerged
a women’s team gold medallist, whilst in
addition regaining the women’s singles
title and clinching women’s doubles
bronze. Outstanding performances, later
in 1980 in Berne, it was women’s team
silver, in 1982 in Budapest, women’s
doubles bronze.
Six gold medals at a European Championships;
in any sport it is a remarkable
record. Deservedly, in 1978, Judit Magos
was voted Hungarian Sportswoman of
the Year and more recently inducted into
the European Table Tennis Union’s Hall
of Fame.
A sad loss to the sport of table but she
will never be forgotten, always remembered.
SCI Members
National champion,
Mary Thuis-Van Ruiten
by Bert van der Helm
Mary Thuis-Van Ruiten
Mary Thuis-Van Ruiten of the Netherlands
passed away on Friday 14th
December; she was 67 years old, she
suffered from cystic fibrosis.
A former national champion, she competed
in the 1968 European Championships
in Lyon and the World Championships
in 1969 in Munich; a friendly and
much loved player and we all regret her
passing all too soon.
39

Outstanding in both disciplines,
Dr. Peter von Pierer passes away
by Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund (translated by Ebby Schöler)
last team match in the fourth division, the
“Kreisliga“. In the same year he concluded
his career as an official and transferred
the leadership of the tennis district
“Mittelfranken“ to younger hands.
We will always remember him.
World champion in Beijing,
Georgeta Pitica
passes away
by Ian Marshall
Peter von Pierer
Dedicated to promoting table tennis and
tennis, highly respected in both sports,
a resident of Marloffstein, Dr. Peter von
Pierer passed away on Sunday 10th
February; he was 88 years old.
A sportsman and volunteer, he influenced
the direction of each sport; now
the DTTB (Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund)
and the DTB (Deutscher Tennis-Bund)
say “good-bye“ to a long term friend and
official.
Born in Vienna 0n Monday 17th March
1930, Peter settled down in Bavaria; he
engaged himself as member of the DTTB
Presidency and at the same time as team
captain of the DTB. Between 1975 and
1981 he was a sport official and later,
until 1985, Vice-President of DTTB. In
addition, he advised both DTTB and DTB
as a lawyer in legal matters and promoted
modern development within competitive
sports.
Among many honours, Peter received
the German National order “Bundesverdienstkeuz“.
As an athlete, he was remarkable
in both sports; he was excellent
at table tennis and much more than
passable in tennis.
In the 1950s, he was amongst the best
table tennis players in Germany. Between
1951 and 1954 he took part in four
international matches and was selected
for the 1954 World Championships. He
represented Germany in two team matches.
During the last All German Championships
in 1954, which included both
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the Federal Republic of Germany (West
Germany) and the German Democratic
Republic (East Germany), he reached
the men’s singles final, losing to the one
and only Conny Freundorfer, the winner
of an incredible nine men’s singles titles
between 1953 and 1961.
Later from 1982 to 1984 he was Chair
of the European Table Tennis Union’s
Youth Committee and member of the
Management Committee. He succeeded
Sever Danet, an age when the ETTU had
an Executive Committee (the Officers)
and a Management Committee (Officers
plus elected members, later Officers plus
Committee chairs).
Meanwhile, in tennis, Peter also reached
remarkable goals. For many years he
was named on the Bavarian Ranking list;
in those days he played for the best German
Team, 1. FC Nuremberg, winning
the German Team Championships.
“Today this double engagement in
tennis and table tennis would be hard
to imagine but I managed to do it at that
time without problems. In winter, I mainly
concentrated on table tennis, in summer
on tennis.“ Peter von Pierer (DTS
1977, now Tischtennis“, the official DTTB
magazine).
At the age of 17 years, Peter started to
play table tennis at TV 1848 Erlangen,
near Nuremberg. At this club the always
exemplary sportsman also celebrated
his farewell from active competition; in
2013 when 81 years old, he played his
Georgeta Pitica
Born in 1930, Romania’s Georgeta Pitica
passed away quietly on Saturday 13th
October, she was 88 years old.
The peak of her career was in the early
1960s, an era when the formula for the
women’s team event was four singles
and one doubles, two players per team
but often a third being introduced for
the doubles. At the 1961 World Championships
in Beijing, partnering Maria
Alexandru, the duo secured women’s
team bronze prior to sealing women’s
doubles gold.
In the women’s team competition they
experienced a three-two semi-final defeat
at the hands of China’s Sun Meiying,
Chiu Chunghei and Hu Keming, before
clinching the women’s doubles title at the
final expense of Chiu Chunghei and Sun
Meiying.

Success in Beijing, two years later in 1963 when the tournament was held in Prague,
there was a further medal for Georgeta Pitica; lining alongside Ella Constantinescu
(the former Ella Zeller) and once again Maria Alexandru, the outfit secured women’s
team silver. They were beaten in the final by Japan’s Kimiyo Matsuzaki and Masako
Seki.
The worthy citizen,
Yechiel Partzelina
by David Davidsohn
Notably, as a result of her outstanding performances, in 1961 Georgeta Pitica was
awarded the Romanian Grand Master of Sports title and the Order of Merit for Labour
Class II. In 2000, she received Romania’s National Medal for Merit Grade III.
The true sportsman, Lumir Ruzha passes
away
by Jaroslav Stanek
Yechiel Partzelina
Yechiel Partzelina, always known as Hilik
passed away on Friday 12th October;
he was just two weeks short of his 83rd
birthday.
Lumir Ruzha
Many times World and European veteran
champion, born on Friday 7th January
1927, Lumir Ruzha passed away on
Sunday 17th February. He was 92 years
old.
For no less than 28 years he led the
Czech Veteran Committee and was a
very active member of Swaythling Club
International for many years.
Lumir was an excellent sportsman, a
complete sportsman. As a teenager he
had played top level ice hockey for the
Slavia Prague club; when his ice hockey
career finished, he turned his attentions
to table tennis. In 1986 he participated
in the Veteran European Championships
for the first time; in 2002 at the World
Veteran Championships in Lucerne,
he gained his first title. He won men’s
singles and men’s doubles 75 years, later
in 2008 in Rio de Janeiro, he secured the
men’s singles 80 years title.
True to his character, he practised every
day; three times he won the men’s singles
title at a World Championships, five
times at the European Championships.
In 2018, his aim was to win gold in Las
Vegas; he came very close. After beating
Sheng Tan-Tsu of the United States in
the semi-finals of the men’s singles 90
years and over (11-7, 11-2, 11-4), he
lost narrowly in the final to China’s Chen
Tongning (5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 4-11, 11-8).
My dear Lumir, thank you for all you did
for our graceful and athletic sport! You
stay in our minds as an outstanding model
for others to follow; always remembered,
never forgotten.
Born on Saturday 26th October 1935 in
Palestine, he was the President of the
Israeli Table Tennis Union. In 1985, his
last year in office, at the World Championships
in Gothenburg, he led the Israeli
men’s team comprising Yakov Bogan,
Dror Polak, Ady Rozenbaum, Gil Bracha
and Yosef Yeshua, the coach. They
finished in 21st place, their best ever
outcome.
In addition, Yechiel Partzelina held a
very high position at Tel Aviv Municipality.
In 2016 he received “Yakir Ramat Gan”
(Worthy Citizen of Ramat Gan) award; an
annual prize presented by the municipality
of the city of Ramat Gan to the
residents who have contributed to the
culture and educational life of the city and
its surroundings in an outstanding way.
He leaves two sons and one daughter;
Yechiel (Hilik) Partzelina will remain in
our hearts forever.
Photos: David Davidsohn, Stefan Feth, Beatrice Romanescu,
Manfred Schillings, Jaroslav Stanek, Table
Tennis Legends, Bert van der Helm
In Memoriam
41

Memorable Months
October: China’s Wang Chuqin and
Sun Yingsha won the respective men’s
singles and women’s singles titles at
the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic
Games; later they combined to secure
mixed team gold. In all three finals it
was Japan who suffered; it was silver
for Tomokazu Harimoto and Miu Hirano.
Meanwhile, Kanak Jha of the United
States was the men’s singles bronze
medallist, in the counterpart women’s
singles event Romania’s Andreea
Dragoman reserved the third step of the
podium. Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju and
Su Pei-Ling emerged the mixed team
bronze medallists.
October: In Paris Fan Zhendong won
the Liebherr 2018 Men’s World Cup; he
beat Germany’s Timo Boll in the final. Lin
Gaoyuan, also from China, finished in
third position.
Mixed team podium at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games (left to right) Miu Hirano, Tomokazu
Harimoto, Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin, Su Pei-Ling, Lin Yun-Ju
Fan Zhendong en route to gold in Paris
Mima Ito gave a stunning performance in Stockholm
November: More success for Fan Zhendong.
In Stockholm he won the men’s
singles title at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF
World Tour Swedish Open beating colleague
Xu Xin in the final. However, the
star of the show was Japan’s Mima Ito.
One after another she beat China’s elite.
In the later rounds she accounted for Liu
Shiwen, Ding Ning and Zhu Yuling to win
the women’s singles title.
42
A first ever for Liang Jingkun
November: China’s Liang Jingkun succeeded
in Linz to win his first ever ITTF
World Tour men’s singles title, he beat
Xu Xin in the final. In an all Chinese final,
Chen Meng secured the women’s singles
title at the expense of Wang Manyu.
Qian Tianyi, the junior girls’ singles champion
December: At the World Junior Championships
in Bendigo, Xu Haidong booked
himself a special place in the history
books. In the boys’ team event he didn’t
win a single match but then won the boys’
singles title after having partnered Xiang

Peng to boys’ doubles gold. Surely that
is a first for any World Championships!
At the quarter-final stage of the boys’
team event, Xu Haidong lost to Kanak
Jha of the United States; it was his one
and only match in the event. He was
not selected again. China won the boys’
team and girls’ team titles; Qian Tianyi
beat colleague Shi Yunyao in the girls’
singles final; the defeat for Shi Yunyao
coming after partnering Huang Fanzhen
to girls’ doubles success and Xu Yingbin
to mixed doubles gold.
December: Japan’s 15 year old Tomokazu
Harimoto caused a sensation; staged
in Incheon he won the men’s singles
title at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World
Tour Grand Finals. He beat China’s Lin
Gaoyuan in the final. Earlier, Brazil’s
Hugo Calderano had caused a major
quarter-final upset; he accounted for Fan
Zhendong. Chen Meng beat compatriot
He Zhuojia to win the women’s singles
title for a second consecutive year.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov (left) and (right) Petrissa Solja, winners in Montreux
February: Germany enjoyed success in the Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux, Dimitrij
Ovthcharov won the men’s title; Petrissa Solja was crowned women’s champion.
Meanwhile, in Guaynabo, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz
emerged the respective men’s and women’s champions at the Pan America Cup.
February: Japan’s Hina Hayata was
in outstanding form in Lisbon at the
Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus
Portugal Open. She won the women’s
singles title. After beating Liu Shiwen in
round three, she accounted for Hungary’s
Georgina Pota, China’s Hu Limei and colleague
Honoka Hashimoto to secure the
top prize. Liang Jingkun won the men’s
singles event; he beat Lin Gaoyuan in the
final.
Tomokazu Harimoto, outstanding in Incheon
Hina Hayata the name to note in Lisbon
Chen Meng retained her Seamaster ITTF World
Grand Finals women’s singles title
January: The Seamaster 2019 ITTF
World Tour started in Budapest; Wang
Chuqin beat Fan Zhendong to reach the
final but, as one year earlier, had to settle
for runners up spot. He was beaten by
Lin Gaoyuan. Chen Meng maintained her
form; she accounted for Zhu Yuling to
secure the women’s singles top prize.
Truls Moregard, setting records
February: At the Safir International of
which the Swedish Junior and Cadet
Open is a part, both the host nation’s
Truls Moregard and Japan’s Kaho Akae
created history. Truls Moregard retained
his boys’ singles title and thus became
the first player to win the event on two
occasions. One day later he secured gold
in the elite men’s singles class and thus
created another first by winning both senior
and junior titles. Kaho Akae became
the first in the history of the tournament
to win both junior girls’ singles and cadet
girls’ singles titles.
Photographers
Rémy Gros, Ireneusz Kanabrodzki, Rita Taborda,
Per Hällström
For full results and articles visit ITTF.com
Memorable Months
43

Veterans travel
the world
2018 Midland Masters, Wolverhampton,
England
Saturday 13th – Sunday 14th October
Photographer
Mike Rhodes
David Griffith, gold men’s doubles 50 years
Andy Trott & Sue Collier, gold mixed doubles 40 years
Neil Hough, bronze mixed doubles 40
years
Mark Land, silver men’s doubles 50
years
Geoff Salter, gold men’s singles 70
years
Carol Eckersley, gold women’s doubles
60 years
2018 Ifo Veteran Open, Exercishuset,
Gothenburg
Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th November
Photographers
Lars Lanhed, Masonit Design
Robert Krupa, bronze men’s singles 40 years
Sabine Hänert, silver women’s singles 40 years
Jimmy Johansson, gold men’s singles
40-49 years
Anita Andersson, silver women’s
singles 60 years
Bo Freyshuss, silver men’s singles 60
years
Jeanette Haugen, bronze women’s
doubles 40 years
44

Veterans travel
the world
2018 Latin American Masters, Santiago,
Chile
Tuesday 5th – Sunday 10th November
Photographer
Cristian Larrain
Fabian Vera, bronze men’s singles 40-44 years
Marco Gomez, bronze men’s singles 55-59 years
Alejandro Moncada, gold men’s singles
40-44 years
Claudia Taguchi, gold women’s singles
55-59 years
Sofija Tepes, silver women’s singles
45-49
Paulo Martinez, silver men’s singles
50-54 years
2019 Southern Masters, Guildford, England
Saturday 5th – Sunday 6th January
Photographer
Mike Rhodes
For results visit: https://www.ittf.com/category/swaythling-club-international/
http://www.vetts.org.uk/VETTS/index.html
Medallists (left to right) Mike Rhodes silver men’s singles 60 years, Teresa Devaney gold women’s singles 60
years and Phil Bowen, men’s singles 60 years winner
Sara Williams, gold women’s singles
40 years
Joe Kennedy, gold men’s doubles 50
years
Diccon Gray, silver men’s singles
40 years
Andy Dixon, bronze men’s doubles
50 years
45

WORLDWIDE
2020 World Veteran Championships Swiss members meet in Zurich and Montreux
In recent months two meetings of the
Swiss section of the Swaythling Club took
place; the first on Saturday 10th November
when members visited the FIFA Museum
in Zurich; the second on Saturday
2nd February in Montreux at the CCB
Europe Top 16 tournament.
Staged in the Velodrome and the Exhibition
Centre in the French city of Bordeaux
from Monday 8th to Sunday 14th June,
a maximum of 4,600 players will be
accepted for the 2020 World Veteran
Championships.
Registrations received above this number
will be included on a waiting list and
accepted by order of date entry received.
Registration
First Registration Period: Friday 1st
March – Tuesday 31st December 2019:
€175.00 per player; €65.00 per accompanying
guest
Second Registration Period: Wednesday
1st January Sunday 15th March 2020:
€210.00 per player; €65.00 per accompanying
guest
The final deadline for registration is Sunday
15th March 2020
At the meeting in Zurich, long-time and
most efficient secretary, Werner Schnyder,
stepped down from office; he is
succeeded by Anton Lehmann. Notably
in Montreux, members were given entry
to the VIP section, a gesture greatly
appreciated.
The women’s singles final at the CCB 2019 Europe-
Top 16 tournament, Bernadette Szocs (left) versus
(right) Petrissa Solja (Photo: Rémy Gros)
English members meet in Nottingham
Table Tennis England kindly hosted the annual meeting of the English branch of the
Swaythling Club International on Sunday 3rd March on the occasion of the PG 2019
Mutual English National Championshipsheld at the University of Nottingham.
The meeting remembered Michael Thornhill and Tony Chatwin, who had sadly passed
away in the past year. A presentation was made to Tom Jarvis in recognition of his fair
play at the tournament.
Payment
On-line registration - https://www.ttm.
co.at/wvc2020/shop/ shops/wizard/people
Contact
Ligue Nouvelle-Aquitaine de Tennis de
Table, Maison Régionale des Sports, 2
Avenue de l’Université, 33400 Talence
Email: contact@wvc2020.com
ITTF World Veteran Tour
Shenzhen (Guangming District), China
Thu 8th – Sun 11th August
Tom Jarvis receives the Fair Play Award from Harvey Webb (Photo: Alan Man)
Innsbruck, Austria
Wed 21st – Sun 25th August
Townsville, Australia
Wed 11th – Sun 15th September
Venue: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Dates: Thu 17th – Sun 20th October
Venue: Doha, Qatar
Dates: Thur 7th – Sun 10th November
Venue: Cardiff, Wales
Dates: Fri 13th – Mon 16th December
Contact:
Email: wvt@ittf.com
www.ittf.com/2019-ittf-world-veterans-tour
Members of England’s Swaythling Cup met in Nottingham (back row left to right) Don Parker, Harvey Webb,
Alan Ransome OBE (front row) Alan Cooke, Karen Tonge MBE, Jill Parker MBE (Photo: Diane Webb)
46