For international music composer, Nenad Bach, table tennis has been the key to regaining his ability to play the guitar and pursue his passion for music once more. I stopped playing the guitar five years after I was diagnosed with Parkinson's, but then I started playing table tennis and I felt 50% better. Now I am playing the guitar again. The idea behind this Championship is to help as many people around the world as possible to continue living with Parkinson's Disease and to be happy, productive members of the society. We are also engaging the scientific community to look deeper into the health benefits of table tennis. Nenad Bach, Founder and Board Member of Ping Pong Parkinson Source www.ittf.com Twelve countries participated at the First ITTF Ping Pong Parkinson Competition, organized in New York, October 11-13 2019: Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Portugal, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, USA. A few countries announced that they will start to organize their national competitions. Congratulations to the organizeras of the competition, and in particular to the idea and intiative of Nenad Bach Logo of the PPP (Ping Pong Parkinson) Champions crowned in Westchester; a tournament is born Play concluded on the afternoon of Sunday 13th October in the splendid setting of the Westchester Table Tennis Club in Pleasantville, New York, it was the host nation that had the greatest reason the celebrate; they secured three of the four titles on offer. Margie Alley emerged the women's singles winner, in the men'€™s events Ilya Rozenblat and Hamid Ezzat-Ahmadi shared the honours alongside Germany'€™s Holger Teppe. by Ian Marshall, Editor Most impressively, Margie Alley secured the title at the final expense of Japan's Yurie Kato (11-1, 11-8), having at the semi-final stage accounted for Croatia'€™s Vlatka Dragia (11-8, 11-2); in the adjacent half of the draw Yurie Kato had ended the progress of colleague Asako Katagiri (11-6, 11-6). One event for women, for the men, it was three events, organised in classes according the level of impairment, class 1 being the most severe. Tough match Holger Teppe, a 34 year old taxi driver, emerged the men's singles class 1 winner. Following success against Japan's Naomichi Saito (11-2, 11-9), he secured the title at the final expense of Portugal's Damasio Caeiro (11-7, 12-10); in the adjacent semi-final, Damasio Caeiro had ousted Germany'€™s Harry Wissler (11-7, 11-8). Impressive from Holger Teppe, for 41 year old Ilya Rozenblat, born in Russia but now resident in Kansas City, in class 2, the performance was equally imposing. After accounting Brazil's Roberto Morand (11-8, 11-5), he secured the title at the final expense of Germany's Thorsten Boomhuis (11-6, 11-2); in the counterpart semi-final Thorsten Boomhuis had overcome Kasturi Rangan of the United States (11-4, 11-3). Motivated, a Russian wife, Ilya Rozenblat, the director of a data management department for the federal government, has two children, a boy eight years old, a girl 13 years of age. Play concludes Gold for Ilya Rozenblat, in the event to conclude proceedings, it was success for Oklahoma’s Hamid Ezzat-Ahmadi. A semi-final win against Navin Kumar of the United States (11-5, 9-11, 11-7), he arrested the title at the final expense of Brazil's Edmur Mesquita (11-9, 9-11, 11-3), the penultimate round winner in opposition to Japan’s Hiromichi Kawai (11-9, 11-4). Medallists decided but above all there was a great sense of unity and pride; one thing is certain, everybody is looking forward to next time, next year cannot come too soon. A new world title event has been added to the calendar of the International Table Tennis Federation. Source https://web.facebook.com/pg/PingPongParkinson/community/?ref=page_internal "Our aim with this event is to promote the participation of people with Parkinson's Disease. I have heard so many positive stories telling not only of physical improvement, but mainly the social and psychological impact. It is often that people with PD tend to stay at home, embarrassed of the tremor and having the chance to play brings them out again to interact with other people. This World Championships brought motivation to many people and it is exactly what we want to see: a positive social change through table tennis," said Leandro OLVECH, ITTF Foundation Director "Since we were so touched from our very first meeting with Mr. Nenad BACH, a true believer of the cause with his own personal story to tell, we felt a real drive to help put on this first World Championships event for people with Parkinson's Disease. We are delighted with this project and the overall direction of the ITTF Foundation, which can lead to amazing results, which in turn will hopefully help many patients and people in need around the world," explained Thomas WEIKERT, ITTF President "When Mr. Nenad Bach came into my office during the 2018 World Table Tennis Championships, performed a song and told me his inspirational story about how table tennis improved his condition, which allowed him to play music again, I knew we had to do something. This is where the idea of hosting an ITTF Parkinson's World Table Tennis Championships was born and I could not be prouder about how the event turned out in Westchester," said Steve DAINTON, ITTF CEO Source https://www.ettu.org/en/n/news/2019/october/dream-becomes-reality-at-inaugural-ittf-parkinson-s-world-table-tennis-championships-in-new-york/