Roy Evans (table Tennis)
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Roy Evans (8 October 1909 – 18 May 1998) was a
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
professional
table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
player from
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. He served as the president of the
International Table Tennis Federation The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the Sport governing body, governing body for all national table tennis associations that use ITTF-approved sponge table tennis rackets. The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regula ...
(ITTF) from 1967 to 1987. During his tenure at the ITTF, he successfully campaigned for the addition of table tennis in the Olympic Games. In 1984, the Olympics added table tennis as an event, and the first competition was held during the 1988
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
in Seoul.
Juan Antonio Samaranch Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch ( Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh ...
, the former IOC president, awarded him the Olympic Order for his role as an advocate for the sport. Evans was named the "Honorary Life President" of the organization in 1987 and was appointed
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in the 1972 Queen's Birthday Honors list.


Biography

Roy Evans was the son of the first treasurer of Wale's Association of Table Tennis, Morgan "Mog" Evans. He was born on 8 October 1909 in Cardiff,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and died at the age of 88 on 18 May 1998.


Career

Evans played for Wales between 1931 and 1933 and was the honorary general secretary of the country's sport governing body from 1933 to 1939. Between 1951 and 1967, he was honored as the general secretary of the International Federation before he held the office of the ITTF president for 20 years. He was later named Honorary Life President in 1987.


Personal life

Evans met his future wife Nancy Jackson before a match against England in 1929, when the Welsh men and women players were brought together for a practice in Cardiff. They married in 1933. In the 1938 women's world table tennis ranking, Nancy ranked seventh. In his book ''ColouredPins on a Map'', Evans said that he had been to at least 50 countries for the purpose of promoting table tennis.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Roy 1909 births 1998 deaths People from Cardiff Welsh male table tennis players Presidents of the International Table Tennis Federation