Current President
TONY MARTIN
Table Tennis Ireland President
At the Annual General Meeting of the ITTA in 2021 Tony Martin was elected as President of the Association for a period of another two years.
Tony Martin has served the Irish Association at both Leinster Branch and Senior Management levels for a number of years in addition to a period on the Leinster Branch in the roles of Secretary, Chair and currently the President. He has also served in various posts as a Leinster League official since 1968 and continues to do so. He has been a Leinster League Committee member for 48 years and Treasurer for 30 years.
Tony became a member of the ITTA Management Committee in 1980, serving as a member and then as Assistant Secretary and PRO. In 1988 he was elected as Secretary, a post he held until 2007. Tony was the Association’s Administrative Officer for more than 10 years. During the latter period he attended 13 ITTF and 13 ETTU meetings as a delegate of the Association.
He was elected as a member of the ITTF Equipment Committee specialising in arena lighting. He acted as Team Manager for the Irish squad and as an NPC on a few occasions. In Ireland he was involved in organising some international matches in Dublin over the years.
He is a National Umpire and Honorary National Referee (since 2012). He is also a member of and former Chairman of the Events Committee. Tony was a Senior and Junior Selector. He received the Joe Veselsky Trophy for service to the sport in 1995 and in 2008, he was appointed as a Vice President of the Association. During his years as ITTA Secretary he was an ITTA delegate to the Olympic Council for Ireland.
As an umpire and referee, Tony referred a number of 6 Nations Championships when these were held in Ireland. These included the Senior, Junior, Veterans and Primary Schools Championships and the International Senior Schools. In addition, he refereed the Special Olympics World Games in 2003 and also the World Transplant Games when held in Ireland. He has also refereed and assisted in the running of the National Junior & Senior Championships, the Junior & Senior Interprovincial Championships as well as other ranking events.
Life President
JOSEPH VESELSKY
Table Tennis Ireland Life President
Joseph Veselsky is the Irish Association’s Life President, a position he has held since 1986 after a period of 4 years as Table Tennis Ireland President. Joe, as he is known to all, first arrived in Ireland from his native Czechoslovakia in 1949 and shortly afterwards became Irish Men’s Coach. Retired from his jewellery business and in his early 90s, Joe keeps up his interest in the sport of Table Tennis through his position in Table Tennis Ireland and as a former President of Swaythling Club International. Through his position in the Swaythling Club, he was an important influence in having the World Veterans Championships allocated to Ireland in 1992. He also has interest in UCD soccer club where he is a Vice President. In 2007, the President of the Slovak Republic bestowed the prestigious Order of the White Double Cross 111 on Joe.
ALEX THACKABERRY
Deputy Table Tennis Ireland Life President
Alex became Deputy Table Tennis Ireland Life President in 2011 after holding a number of important positions in the Irish Association at both Board and Branch levels over many years. He is a former Leinster Branch Secretary and Chairman as well as representing the Branch on the Irish Senior Management Committee. Alex began a period of 35 years of service to the sport at management level in 1976. He served the Association as Treasurer for 10 years, followed by a period of 15 years as Chairman. In 2001 he began a period as President until he stepped down in 2011 when he was appointed to his current position of Deputy Life President. The highlight of his involvement in the sport was assisting in the organisation of the World Veterans Championships in Dublin in 1992.