News and Media

British Gold and Silver for Table Tennis Dynamic Duos!

31st October 2008

British mixed doubles strike gold at the INAS-FID European Table Tennis Championships in Spain last week. Top British players, Victoria Bromley (Wolverhampton) and Adam Thompson (Cheshire) demonstrated their superior play when they beat their key rivals France in one of the most exciting and action packed finals of the tournament.

Playing 5 tough games, the British pair finally pushed France to their limit taking the 5th in a convincing 11-9. Bromley paired with team mate Jacqueline Smith (Essex) proved to be a powerful combination winning silver in a gruelling 5 game match against the strong French team.

Solid performances from Jeffrey Jarvis (Leicestershire), Simon Green (Buckinghamshire), Duncan Feltham (Dorset) and gold medallist Adam Thompson saw the mens team steam through the quarter finals against Austria, but loosing in the semi final to the eventual match winners Spain. Neil Handley (Lancashire) and Alistair Feltham (Dorset) managed their anxieties convincingly throughout the singles first round, but were beaten in the knockouts.

"This is an absolutely marvellous result", comments Dennis Beech, GB Team Manager. "It can only get better. It was just so emotional hearing our National Anthem for the first time. Every Game was incredibly close and France has always been our biggest rivals. We really are on the brink of bringing home more medals and by the Global Games I think we will be ready to do that".

Tracey McCillen, National Director, UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability said "This is the first time our British Table Tennis players have reached the podium and we are very proud. It demonstrates the hard work and commitment not only of these talented players, but of Dennis, Wendy and Head Coach Mick Vesey. Now that we're on the podium, you can rest assured we'll be back for more!"

The INAS-FID European Table Tennis Championships for playes with intellectual disability were hosted by FEDDI in Valencia, Spain during 20th - 26th October and are run under INAS-FID and ITTA regulations. The event was attended by players from Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, France, Hong Kong, China and Japan.

The ban on athletes with intellectual disability competing in the Paralympic Games, imposed after the Sydney 2000 Games continues. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Sports Federation (INAS-FID) in their statement of September 2008, indicated progress has been made between the parties and a decision on whether athletes will be admitted to the London 2012 Games will be made in November 2009.

The UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability (UKSA), working with its members and other organisations across the UK, has been leading a campaign since 2001 for the ban to be lifted. UKSA continues to urge Government to address the lack of funding for athletes across the UK and the UK Sports Association itself as a result of the continued IPC ban and to ensure that this group of athletes are re-admitted in time for full participation in London 2012.