Taking up a new sport at the age of 70 is somewhat unusual. Taking it up with the intensity, passion and ambition of Ala Al-Janabi is extraordinary.
Ala, who has made Kilmore in Co Armagh his home with his wife and three children for the last 30 years, has become one of the most energetic advocates for table tennis in Northern Ireland — despite only picking up a bat for the first time a little under a year ago.
“I was never sporty,” said Ala. “I am really business minded. Never did any sport and never run, never walked, never cycled, never did anything…”
Ala grew up in Baghdad before moving to the UK in 1976. After completing his studies at Birmingham University, he earned a Masters in Business Administration and later worked as a director with a major company.
In 1996, he moved to Northern Ireland with his Belfast-born wife — who went on to at Drumcree School — and their three children.
“I came to Co Armagh to help people with the orchards, setting up a number of factories. I bought a house in Kilmore, which is a lovely big bungalow with acres around it. It’s my home until I die.”
Nearly 30 years on, Co Armagh is truly home to Ala.
But remarkably, Ala’s entry into sport began only after retirement.
“My wife, she is retired as well…,” he explained. “We got fed up after two years, so we decided, ‘let’s do something different’.”
They went to South Lake Leisure Centre and tried a dance and movement class. “There were about 30 ladies and I’m the only man there. I said to my wife, ‘look, that’s not me!’”
After ruling out swimming, the gym and squash, the receptionist at the leisure centre mentioned table tennis. Ala gave it a try the next day — and everything changed.
“There was a lovely man, Arnold Morgan, and he started just throwing a few balls at me,” Ala continued. “I kept missing them but soon after I was hooked on it. I loved it. I absolutely loved it.”
He joined Craigavon Table Tennis Club and Banbridge Table Tennis Club, immersing himself fully in his new sport. “I started reading up on the rules and the regulation – I began studying the game.”
Ala progressed rapidly — not as a player, he insists as he has still a fair bit to go on that front, but as an official. He’s now on the committee of Table Tennis Ulster.
“I did the exam, and I passed it, and I became an umpire. Even though I can’t play very well… I was going to different places, competitions, to umpire the games, which I love.”
He then completed his coaching qualification, visiting primary schools to introduce children to the sport. “We managed to get them some tables and started teaching the kids locally from P3, P4, P5.”
Ala is now also a qualified referee, responsible for entire events rather than a single table. “I love every single part of it.”
His passion for development even took him to China last August. While the main reason may have been to visit his son, there was a second – and that was “to go and practice table tennis with the top guys”.
China is renowned for Table Tennis – its woven in to their very fabric from a young age and while its unlikely to ever receive such a standing in NI, Ala says the sport here has huge untapped potential.
“We have fantastic players… young people in university. They’re playing very well. The only thing is, they’re playing each other all the time.”
Ala wants to bring in coaching influences from France, Sweden and Germany and believes NI players could eventually compete at the highest international levels.
“We could go and compete in Olympic Games… We could go and compete against the Chinese – that’s what I would love to be able to do for the sport here.”
He also sees the sport as uniquely inclusive of gender age, and cultural/political backgrounds. While some sports are associated with the type of school you go to, table tennis does not have that sort of influence.
“We have kids about six years old and we have people as old as 94 playing table tennis… With table tennis, it’s different. It really is a mix. You have girls and boys and they play together and against each other.”
Cost, too, is not a barrier. “Yearly membership costs between £9 and £19, which basically covers insurance,” said Ala who bemoaned a lack of grant aid for the sport in NI. While not nothing, it’s minuscule when compared to the more mainstream sports. That ma be a case of the chicken and egg, perhaps.
But with Table Tennis Ulster now offering programmes for all ages as well as mental health and even Parkinson’s, Ala believes the sport is positioned to grow dramatically.
Last year’s Ulster Open in Lisburn had 384 competitors. This year’s – which will take place this weekend in Lisburn – will have 500, and Ala thinks the numbers could double soon with the right guidance.
For Ala, table tennis has transformed his health – both physically and mentally.
“The health benefit… is unbelievable. Not just for me but so many people. There’s coordination, focusing on eye coordination, the brain will always be active during the games… and because you don’t necessarily need to move that much unlike football or running, it’s perfect for older people.”
“I have been playing almost a year and I have lost three stones.”
It’s an incredible personal achievement and for someone who has achieved so much throughout his career, it may rank as one of his highlights.
He jokes about how far he has come.
“A year and a half ago, if you asked me, ‘What’s table tennis?’ I would tell you I don’t know.”
Now, he is helping shape the sport’s future in Northern Ireland.
And at 70, Ala Al-Janabi is only getting started.
