Posts in category: TTI News

The Board of Table Tennis Ireland is delighted to announce that they have appointed and would like to welcome Chris Kitchen as the Interim Chair.

Kenneth Strong, TTI Director and former President on behalf of the Board said “It is great to welcome Chris to TTI, we feel that the timing is just right to bring someone in from outside the association who has a proven track record and can bring a different perspective to the organisation. We have an exciting sport that can and should be attractive to a much bigger part of society and we believe that Chris can help us set the foundations to achieve this.”

Chris joins us during a significant period of disruption to our sport due to the Pandemic and we hope that he will lead us through a Table Tennis “bounce back”. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of a healthy Ireland and, because it is so accessible to all, our sport can and should play a leading role in that. Chris will be leading on getting more people actively involved in the sport from participant to volunteer, capitalising on Table Tennis’s key benefits to mind body and soul and helping people to reach their own personal goals.

Chris will also be able to lead on the development and finalisation of our Strategic Plan which will be our road map for the next few years. Chris’s appointment also provides us with an opportunity to review the structure and develop TTI to become a professional, efficient and effective organisation for the benefit of our members and all our stakeholders.

Chris comes from both a sporting and business/commercial background having run successful companies but also being on the boards of European Federations and other National Governing Bodies. Over the years he has been a level 3 coach, a technical official, an event organiser, chair of selection panels and as a mentor/executive coach. Most recently he was the CEO of Triathlon Ireland where, supported by the Board, he was able to build a team that delivered significant growth and attracted partnerships with substantial sponsorship from a strong financial and governance foundation.

On his appointment Chris said “I am really looking forward to working with Table Tennis Ireland. Table Tennis is a sport that is easy for anyone to take up whatever their background and now that indoor sport is once again able to operate there is a huge opportunity to grow the sport in Ireland. I am keen to work with the Board, the Clubs, the members and all our stakeholders to see what we can do to maximise the impact of our sport. No matter what your fitness level, your age or your ability Table Tennis can provide an exciting way for you to get involved in sport I want to welcome as many as possible to our vibrant community.”

Table Tennis Ireland are saddened to learn of the death of Cecil Walker MBE at the age of 89.  Cecil was an Irish Selector in the early 70’s and led the Irish Table Tennis Team to victory in 1973 when the team of Jimmy Langan, Tommy Caffrey and Karen Walker (née Senior) gained promotion to Division 2 in the European League (photo below).  

Cecil was an excellent administrator having been Chair of Lisburn Table Tennis League and the driving force behind some major Ulster Open events.  Cecil’s first love was cricket, and although he was heavily involved with Lisburn Cricket Club and held Presidency roles with both the Northern Cricket Union and the Irish Cricket Union, he still retained an interest in table tennis.  He attended the Ulster Open at Lisburn Racquets Club with his daughter Gloria only a few years ago.  

We would like to extend our condolences to Cecil’s family and friends. May he rest in peace. 

We caught up with Mia O’Rahilly Egan, a Table Tennis Ireland player and coach who has moved over to Italy and has begun a new table tennis journey with Clemintina in Jesi. Mia is also taking part in our WIS Racquet Sport Coaches Leadership Programme, putting her newly learnt skills and development into action over in Italy. Keep reading below to see how Mia has been getting on in her new coaching and playing journey in Italy.

If you told me that I would be coaching full-time and playing in the Serie B Femminile League here in Italy this time last year, I would definitely not have believed you! A coach of mine called Marco Berzano who trained with me in Ireland when I first started playing Table Tennis about 10 years ago got in touch with me last year about playing league for his club Clementina in Jesi, in the Serie B Femminile and also coaching full-time in Ancona, Italy.

I honestly wanted to start straight away and I was really excited to begin playing competitively. When I first arrived I immediately felt welcomed  – especially by the coaches Sonia and Sergei in Jesi, the players and everyone I’d be working with here in Ancona. My weekly schedule consists of coaching kids in Jesi on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday alongside Sergei and Sonia (both of whom I learn a lot from every week) as well as fitting in a training schedule during the week which mostly consists of practicing with Sonia. Then on a Tuesday and Thursday, I am in Ancona coaching the kids with Sonia who has become a close friend of mine the past couple of months and someone I am very grateful to for helping me settle into a completely different environment to back home. After the kids session finishes ( It flies by) – I coach the adults alongside another coach,  Eduardo, who has taught me a lot and a guy that I can turn to for advice when needs be.

My weekends are usually free. If not, they consist of myself playing in the league or coaching kids from Jesi in tournaments around the region of Marche.

There are more positives than challenges of course but the most challenging is not being able to speak Italian fluently. However I have also discovered that you don’t necessarily need to be fluent in the language to communicate with the kids. This is what makes my job easier and the best part of being able to communicate with them with your hands or by making eye-contact demonstrates that they know that you’re dedicated. As a result a trust is formed between the coach and player. 

Lastly I want to say how rewarding it is as a coach to see the kids enjoy the sport because it reminds me of why I started to play table tennis and why I continued to play. I hope that the girls reading this might think of picking up a bat and join a club nearby or those who are thinking about becoming coaches in the near future have learnt something new about my short-time experience as a coach.

The Association is sad to advise of the death of Christine Doyle on Monday 8th of November. 

She was a very popular member of the Para Table Tennis Squad. Her focused and competitive nature was obvious from her early involvement with Para Training Camps. Her enthusiasm and love of sport was clear, as she was not only involved in table tennis but left her mark on wheelchair basketball. A remarkable sportswoman.

Christine flew the Irish flag proudly and secured many podium places at various International tournaments during the 2012 / 2016 Paralympic Game cycle. She will be remembered by all who knew her as a great ambassador for Irish Para Table Tennis.

Christine will be remembered by all at Table Tennis Ireland and she will be sorely missed by all. She was a credit to the Irish Table Tennis Association and how she represented us in every event and camp.

On behalf of the Board and all the membership, we would like to extend our condolences to Christine’s family and friends, may she rest in peace.

Book of Condolences found at the following link: https://rip.ie/death-notice/christine-doyle-bayside-dublin/475523

The Board of Table Tennis Ireland has announced that Joe Hickey has stepped down as Chairman of the Association with effect from 30th Sept. Joe had not sought re-election at the AGM in June but agreed to continue to assist in identifying a successor.  

Joe served as Chairman from 2007 to 2011 and as President from 2011 to 2015. Joe agreed to re-join the Board as Chair in January 2019 to assist with a number of challenging issues. 

The Board would very much like to acknowledge Joe’s significant contribution to the development of the Association during his time as Chairman and President. 

At the 2016 AGM, after he had stepped down from the Board, Joe was the proud recipient of the Veselsky Award, the highest award for services to the Association. 

We all wish him every success and good health in the future!