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It really is true that not everybody loves to compete, naturally some personalities are more achievers than others. But this year we have some great news - we listened to you and we also understand the needs of our Ping Pong Parkinson family.
So we have added a NEW non-competitive players addition to the World Championship. This will allow more people to join and play without worrying about falling or the anxiety that may come with competition. It reflects our passion about making ping pong or table tennis inclusive for people with a parkinson diagnosis & creating safe spaces to play. And best of all? We have lined up world-class coaches Kjell Åke Waldner and Nikica Vukeljato to conduct training sessions so that by the end of the championship we have gained more knowledge and practice to keep playing when we go back home. Please register quickly as booking slots are limited and specify that you’re interested in the non-competitive games. See you soon in Slovenia! • Tournament dates - October 14th to 19th 2024. • Register here
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Thursday was a historic day in America. The US Congress in Washington unanimously passed by voice vote the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act.
This moment in history has taken years of laborious lobbying and public participation led by the Michael J Fox Foundation and other organizations. Thousands of people from all walks of life participated to rally the unanimous call and urge their Senate representatives to support it sending over 70,000 messages. It’s all thanks to everyone for each effort made. 215 senators and representatives have championed this bill, the first bi-partisan work to bring federal agency stakeholders together along with nonfederal experts, patients, and caregivers to build a national plan to prevent, treat, and cure Parkinson's Disease, including atypical Parkinsonisms like progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Now the bill goes to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature. In America it’s estimated that 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson each year. We need to find a cure! We’re part of a future without PD. This year’s PingPong Parkinson Quooker German Open (GO2024) just took a bow ending what was a successful, memorable and wonderful tournament.
Held in Nordhorn from 9th to 12th May, GO2024 saw 260 participants come out to play. It was the fourth edition and the biggest yet. The opening ceremony was graced by Mayor Thomas Berling and the Deputy County Councilor Charlotte Ruschulte. We also appreciate the presence of Nenad Bach and all PingPongParkinson leaders who came to participate in solidarity. We would like to thank all players, the organizing committee, our sponsors & volunteers and every family member and friend who cheered us on. Again we defied the odds and keep moving together in the fight against parkinson. Visit the GO2024 official page to relive the moments. See you again next year! Parkinson disease (PD) affects physical movement but it also takes a heavy toll on individuals socially. Therefore demanding that more attention is given to fight stigma and negative social impacts to enhance quality of life for a person living with Parkinson.
PD is also reportedly becoming the fastest neurological disease with an estimated 1.2million people to be diagnosed by 2030 in USA & over 10million people currently living with it worldwide. Does exercising really hold the silver lining? Well, it improves psychomotor symptoms, especially regularly playing ping pong but it also provides a supportive community environment. So lets keep pushing to break & remove barriers so that others with Parkinson can experience the benefits of playing ping pong for their health. Have you been to PingPongParkinson® in South West Florida? For several years now the ping pong sessions were being offered at Estero recreational center by Purvi Naik who has been spearheading all efforts. Recently however there has been a growth to the team namely the addition of Roger Berkley which has led to the expansion of venues where ping pong for parkinson patients can be offered to support the parkinson community and caregivers through the PingPongParkinson® therapy program.
Classes are held at these 2 locations. Equipment is provided.
Read a feature article from Spotlight News Magazine here. For the past four years since holding the first PingPongParkinson® World Championship, we have met so many people who have touched our hearts and inspired our supporters and our work. We like to say, we never give up - and a big salute goes to those who keep us going by donating and helping run our classes and tournaments worldwide for people with a parkinson diagnosis.
A special thanks to you Fred for sharing your story. For almost 20 years, I have been living with this illness which imposed itself on me. Despite the progression of the illness, I never stopped fighting, trying to keep my spirits up and smiling. It was at the age of 26 that the symptoms of the disease appeared for me. This did not prevent me from meeting my wife with whom I have 2 beautiful children. But 3 years ago, a time when I was unable to hold a glass without spilling, and even worse for a dad, not being able to carry my son, my neurologist operated on me to perform deep brain stimulation. It was a first victory to curb the disease, I was very quickly able to carry my children in my arms. And then I met Franck Graindorge from PingPongParkinson® France who told me about their first participation in the PingPongParkinson® World Championship held in Croatia during summer 2022. He did not hide his enthusiasm from me, telling me that he had met a new family. I didn't realize how right he was until I joined PingPongParkinson!! An adventure was launched to finance this great project, find sponsors and donors, a strong solidarity was therefore put in place to go to Wels in Austria for the PingPongParkinson® World Championship. We received support from the local ping pong club, school, and so many people. As I had the opportunity to tell some of you in Austria - sport unites. In fact, it doesn't matter how many matches we won or lost because we weren't playing against an opponent, but against Parkinson disease. Many moral values resulted from this, so many beautiful encounters, smiles, and kindness that will make me rich in this amazing journey, so a big thank you to all of you for allowing Franck and me such an adventure!!! Emotionally we were on top. Thanks to Nenad who allowed us to experience such moments, Thorsten for his discussions and his invitation to Nordhorn, Hamid and his wife, Mauro, Niels, Nadine... I can't wait to see you again. Frédéric Gourmon - PingPongParkinson® Member. On the last day of the matches, and the PingPongParkinson® World Championship, the PingPongParkinson® family woke up to the sad news of the passing of Antonio Perrone on Friday night. Antonio was competing in the tournament during its first two days before he had to pull out due to health reasons. As the oldest participant in this year's championship at 84 years, we can say that his determination went beyond sportsmanship but carried forth the spirit of humanity.
For people living with a condition that has no cure yet, we know very well how fragile life is, and we continue in the fight even as we hope we are examples to the world that the fear of parkinson can be defeated - we do this daily. But when fate decides to act, then with grace one takes a bow. This year during the championship, we took some moments of silence to salute in loving memory our departed friends: Antonio Perrone from Italy (1939 - 2023) - May he rest in peace. To family and friends we would like to express our deepest condolences. Ronnie Gilboa from Israel (1956 - 2023) - “ I believe in the power of the one. This individual who can make our society better, more just - and even healthier ". Ronnie Gilboa, 2018. Angela Hagman from Sweden (1956 - 2022) - Angela was a positive, sweet, happy, caring and popular person. Mirko Kozar from Slovenia (1954 - 2020) - Mirko was a big fighter at the ping pong table. With his humor he brought good mood in our group. He was a great man & our best friend. We did not expect him to give up. Mirko, you will always be in our hearts and memory. Edmur Mesquita from Brazil (1954 - 2020) - Edmur’s time among us was short, his impact was profound. He demonstrated that the human spirit can triumph over physical limitations, leaving an enduring legacy of resilience, elegance and unwavering determination. In the world of table tennis and the fight against Parkinsons, Edmur Mesquita in our hearts you’ll stay. This year’s PingPongParkinson® World Championship is like nothing we have ever seen before! Matches begun on Tuesday with the singles preliminary rounds followed the next day with the doubles & mixed doubles preliminary rounds. Tough competition and surprises have kept everyone on their toes these last two days.
This year's event also includes some educative sport seminars, and a juggling and Rubik cube challenge. Did you know that juggling can be both a fun & therapeutic exercise for people with Parkinson? Together with the Rubik cube fun contest we get to challenge once more the brain & body. How did it go? These are the results: Juggling- Nenad Bach 69.44 seconds, Helmut Arends 20.89 seconds and Andreas Koch 13.00 seconds. Rubik cube- Gunnar Sahr 2:59, Andreas Koch 4:25 and Nenad Bach 13:48. We wish all players the best & to have lots of fun. Thank you country leaders & teams for the awesome team spirit and fair play. We have 23 countries participating this year. The PingPongParkinson® World Championship is just three days away. Being hosted this year in the lovely city of Wels in Austria, the local organizing committee is ready to welcome players, family and friends. This year 296 players will compete over five days in about 2000 matches.
We would like to say a special thanks to all our sponsors and partners, and appreciate in a big way SPG Felbermayr Wels table tennis club. Watch all the fun on our youtube page and stay updated through the tournament website at https://pppwc.org. |
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