JOE BORG CARDONA is associated with the game of table-tennis. One of the most dedicated members of the Malta Table-Tennis Association for many years, he worked his way up from normal player to champion, formidable doubles player and later in his career – after turning to the administrative side – to committee member and later president of the association. He also had a long career as a member of the national team, with whom he represented Malta abroad on several occasions in top tournaments such as the European and world championships. Here he tells his story to Henry Brincat.

The president of the Malta Table-Tennis Association, Joe Borg Cardona, is another well-known person in the local field of sport.

For the past 13 years he has occupied the post of association president, but in earlier years he also served as a member of the committee as well as having been a top player and member of the national team, with whom he had a career spanning over 20 years.

He started playing with Olympians Sports Club in Sliema in 1968. “I started somewhat late, at the age of 16. However, we were all keen on the game, but we did not have the same facilities as those we have today. In those days I also played for the Melita FC team, who had the well-known John Bonavia as the club’s mentor. He was their main inspiration as he took care of the promising youngsters who graced that club. Today, they still have a team playing in the association’s leagues,” said Joe.

He went on to describe how he subsequently made a lot of progress, culminating in his winning the individual Malta championship title four times between 1974 and 1981. “It was a memorable run, during which I was also a finalist on five other occasions. This was apart from the fact that I and Alex Anastasi formed a formidable doubles partnership, as we went on to dominate the doubles competition for a large number of years,” he added.

Borg Cardona said he was selected to join the national team for the first time in 1977. “It was great and I was excited. My selection opened a new door for me in this sport. It led to me representing the country in all major competitions abroad during a period that lasted till 1997.

“I remember that on one occasion in Guernsey, in 1981, we did very well in the European League, winning the Third Division,” he said.

Since he has been president, his biggest satisfaction came in 1999, when he led the table-tennis contingent to the Liechtenstein Games for European Small Nations. “There we obtained our best result ever in these Games, winning two gold and two silver medals. Thanks to those results, the game enjoyed a boost among local youngsters.

“There we had among our ranks the Chinese players, Lu Li-ping and Chen Shen. On my initiative, they had been in Malta much earlier. In 1990 we started noticing that young people were lacking in our game and we brought them over to start teaching the game to youngsters in schools, apart from coaching them to achieve better levels. Li-ping came to Malta first and then, after a few years, Chen Shen came over as well. They were both eligible to play for Malta in 1999 as by then they had been here for more than the three years stipulated by the rules. Thanks to their presence, you could also see a vast improvement in the levels of our national team players. They gave us a big push until 2001, that is, while they stayed with us.

“That year, we had the Small Nations Games in San Marino and we were preparing for it. We sent them to Japan a few weeks before the Games, but we never saw them again,” he said.

Borg Cardona also said that last year, the MTTA brought over a Scottish coach, Dave Fairholm, sponsored by the Malta Olympic Committee through a scholarship from the International Olympic Committee. “He was here for three months, during which 15 coaches managed to qualify. We also opened four new table-tennis centres during that short period and we can safely say now that we have much more talent on the way. In fact, you can never say that you’ll be having an easy match these days, if you encounter any of the youngsters in a competitive match,” he said.

The MTTA president was also full of praise for the University Sports Hall which has been in use for almost two years now. “It has been a real boon. It is ideal for this game. It is large and we have 12 tables spread over two days – Mondays and Fridays – when we stage our training and competitions. But it is definitely not enough, although it’s a big step in the right direction. The association still needs its own premises and we are working hard on this project now,” he added.

He went on to explain that the association is hoping to have a new building of its own in Qawra, possibly in the next few years. He said: “Some two years ago, we had discussions with the president of the International Table-Tennis Federation, Adham Saharar of Canada. He asked us to find a place in Malta where a table-tennis centre could be constructed, funded, of course, by the world federation.

“We gladly agreed and have been working hard on it ever since. Now we have singled out an area close to the proposed new complex to be built by the government at Qawra and, hopefully, our project as well as another in the pipeline for another association, will form part of the northern sports complex promised by the government after those at Cottonera and Karwija. We are convinced this will solve our problems,” he stated.

Borg Cardona also said that the world federation had been pleased with our organisation of a course for umpires in the English language. “It was not teaching English to these umpires, but the basics of the game (some expressions) in English. But it was very successful and others are planned to be held in future, possibly at the new centre in Qawra after it is completed. That is definitely our future as it will enable us to become autonomous,” he said.

He could not fail to mention another great sporting personality, Joseph Cassar Naudi, a former well-known football referee, who is still active on the administrative side, despite having reached a venerable age. “He is my uncle. By coincidence, he was also the first president of the Malta Table-Tennis Association in 1953,” he said.

Asked to describe his most memorable moment in the game as a player, Joe said that that was with the national team in 1976 in Germany. “We managed to beat the third seed, Spain, in the doubles (with Alex Anastasi).”

The abrupt departure of the Chinese players/coaches, Lu Li-ping and Chan Shen was a major disappointment for Borg Cardona. “As I’ve said already, in 2001 we sent them to take part in the world championships in Japan. It was good experience for them, in view of the impending San Marino Games where we were expecting to win a number of medals. But they never came back and we played in San Marino without them,” he said.

Borg Cardona concluded with a message to the youngsters. “The fact that the MTTA today has 15 qualified coaches guarantees a successful future. They can all coach at the highest levels. Moreover, today we have those four centres where anyone can attend and join up to take part – and over the last two years we have been provided with 20 tables of international standard to cater for the strong demand we are encountering at present. We are also giving the game a big push in schools in an effort to increase its popularity. All PE masters, or anyone who needs some information, may contact us and we will provide the necessary support,” he said.