46^th World Table Tennis Championships

Osaka, Japan · April 23 - May 6, 2001

Jorgen Persson file photo copyright 2000 by John Oros

Jorgen Persson's Kindness Noteworthy

By Tim Boggan

Brian Halliday, Vice Chair of Public Relations for the English TTA, is just one of the relatively anonymous many here at these Osaka Championships—aficionados all—who, like the World Champions they so admire, have a memorable little story to tell.

I met Halliday by chance at the French TTA’s Apr. 24^th (On to Paris in 2003) Righa Hotel cocktail/aperitif Reception, and from early pleasantries found that he’d been to the Commonwealth Games and would be representing Guernsey at the ITTF’s Apr. 26^th Annual General Meeting.

After retiring from the insurance business, Brian who’s about to turn 66 and walks with a cane, was able to indulge his passion for all things table tennis.

An English County player, he was thrilled to win the Men’ s Over 60 Doubles at the 1998 World Masters Games in Portland, Oregon. And, in retrospect, he was even more thrilled at the 1999 English Open for being able to interview for the English "Table Tennis News" one of the great Swedish World Champions, Jorgen Persson.

But then suddenly Brian’s table tennis fun was stopped. He was given a hard punch to the stomach, as it were—a cancerous tumor there had to be removed, and in the process of being removed damaged his sciatic nerves so much that, despite his having spent eight fearful, painful weeks in a Reading hospital, they never did heal properly.

"Bad luck," said the attending surgeon—"only one chance in 20,000 of it happening."

A cold calculation that did nothing to alter Brian’ depression at losing his mobility and his unhappiness at not being able to resume his normal table tennis life.

But one day in the hospital there was a beginning brightness—Halliday received a Get Well card. "How nice," he thought, "someone remembered that English Open interview and sent me a card with Jorgen Persson’s photo on it."

The card, however, was a special one, for it came from Jorgen Persson himself. He’d somehow found out that Halliday was suffering.

"That card gave me an enormous lift," said Brian. "It will always have pride of place in my home collection."…

Here in Osaka on Apr. 23 Brian got a chance to thank Jorgen in person. "I could hardly talk to him," he said, "I was so overcome with emotion."

Amazing, is it, how when one is desperately ill and depressed some kind gesture can make all the difference?

Especially when it’s not only a Champion’s play one looks up to, but his humanity.

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