At last the final pieces are falling into place for the ITTF Parkinson’s World Championship 2023 in Crete which starts next week.
There are 73 competitors (54 men/19 women) taking part. Perhaps lower than expected but given that PingPongParkinson held its own World Championships in Austria last month it’s not really surprising. Considering the tournament is taking place on a Greek island rather than mainland Europe it is still a good turnout.
The classification list has now been published and I’ve been placed in Class 1! I had expected to be in Class 2 as I was at the Scottish Open and I guess I should take it as a compliment! However we have 48 hours to appeal the decision which I have done on the basis that my symptoms have worsened since we completed the classification assessment several months ago (before I started having problems with my right arm and hand). Worse case scenario is I stay in Class 1 but even then there is always the consolation round (in football terms equivalent of playing in the Europa League instead of the Champions League!).
I’m still not sure what the situation is with the Doubles but I am hoping to at least find a partner for the Men’s doubles. The mixed doubles is more problematical as by definition there can only be 19 pairs as that is the number of female competitors meaning most of the men will not be able to take part.
The ITTF Foundation are also organising the World Table Tennis For Health Congress which will discuss the positive health benefits of playing Table Tennis.
I know I post a lot about my table tennis adventures both here and on Facebook but I do think it’s important to spread the message that there is life after a Parkinson’s diagnosis. While the disease has reduced my hillwalking exploits I couldn’t have wished for a better sport to replace it with and even better it takes place indoors – no need for a table tennis weather forecast!
Before we head to Crete on Tuesday morning from Gatwick we are spending a few days staying with my daughter Jennifer and her fiancé David. We had an enjoyable evening last night at GSK’s Allenbury Social Club including a very impressive Halloween fireworks display. And today we also caught up with my son Craig and old school friend Nigel for a lovely lunch at the Punch House pub in Ware. A good day topped off by the Tigers winning a second match in a row lifting them into the play off places!
Ayrshire Tiger 