Table Tennis - nevillecregan.com

The Largest Table Tennis Tournament in the World (Ever).

The ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) World Masters Table Tennis Championships took place this year (2024) in July in Rome, Italy. At 6,ooo competitiors competing in five year age groups from over 40’s to to over 90’s, it was the largest table tennis competiton ever held. The range was huge, from current professional players such as Joao Montiero, Portuguese 40+ age group gold medallist and still ranked in the top 100 in the world, through to Betty Bird a British 90+ gold medallist, along with 5,998 others; including my somewhat overambitious self chasing ping pong glory rainbows at the age of 58.

Table Tennis Training in Hungary.

The Club in Eger, Hungary, has a long history. Historical legends.

Table tennis is a respected and popular sport in Hungary and has a long tradition there . I went to Eger, North East Hungary, to attend a table tennis training camp in 2017 before my first competitive season in the South Devon League Division Four (no less). It was also part pilgrimage to the home of many early world champions, part of the history of the game before the current era of Chinese dominance. There is still a strong table tennis culture throughout Eastern Europe, with every possibility of top players emerging, making this an exciting trip for me personally.