Jean-Michel Saive
Encyclopedia
Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian
professional table tennis
player.
Born in Liège in a table tennis playing family, Saive was predestined to become a very good table tennis player and began playing as a small boy. His father was the tenth ranking Belgian player and his mother won the Belgian ladies' doubles championships when she was pregnant with him.
At the age of thirteen Saive was the fourth ranking Belgian player and joined the national team. In 1985 he was ranked best player in Belgium, a place which he has kept until today (2011) without interruption. In 1994 he made it to world number one for 515 days (from 9 February 1994 to 8 June 1995 and from 26 March 1996 to 24 April 1996).
Jean-Michel Saive has won a total of 130 medals (51 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze) in international singles tournaments. Some of his important titles are:
He was also individual world vice champion in 1993, finalist at the World Cup in 1994 and 2003 and he was finalist at the world championship for teams with Belgium in 2001.
He participated to five consecutive Summer Olympic Games, from 1988, when table tennis became an official Olympic sport in Seoul
, to 2004 in Athens
. At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 1996 and 2004 he was the flag bearer of the Belgian team. For the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the 20 highest ranked ITTF
players were to be selected for the Olympics. Saive expected to be selected as he was tied in 20th position together with the Swede Jörgen Persson
and there was no rule to decide what to do in case of ties. The ITTF decided they needed to play an extra playoff to determine who got the last spot.
However, they refused to play as they agreed they should both get a ticket. The ITTF then recalculated the rankings and placed Persson in 20th position and Saive in 21st. It is now unclear if Saive, who still does not want to play in the extra qualification tournaments since he believes he deserves to go, will complain through the Court of Arbitration for Sport
for unfair treatment, he gets support from Persson and has asked the ITTF for an explanation in a letter. Eventually, Saive did play an extra qualification tournament in Budapest
, finishing third and thus qualified for his sixth successive Summer Olympics.
Both Saive and Persson, along with Croatian Zoran Primorac
, are first only table tennis players to compete at six Olympics, having been at all Games since the sport was introduced in 1988.
His successes made him the best Belgian table tennis player and he is also one of the best sportsmen of Belgium. He was elected Sports Personality of the Year 1991 and 1994. Jean-Michel Saive is known for his victories but also for his sportsmanship. He was awarded the UNESCO World Award of Fair Play in 1989.
His younger brother Philippe Saive is also a table tennis player, albeit less successful.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
professional table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player.
Born in Liège in a table tennis playing family, Saive was predestined to become a very good table tennis player and began playing as a small boy. His father was the tenth ranking Belgian player and his mother won the Belgian ladies' doubles championships when she was pregnant with him.
At the age of thirteen Saive was the fourth ranking Belgian player and joined the national team. In 1985 he was ranked best player in Belgium, a place which he has kept until today (2011) without interruption. In 1994 he made it to world number one for 515 days (from 9 February 1994 to 8 June 1995 and from 26 March 1996 to 24 April 1996).
Jean-Michel Saive has won a total of 130 medals (51 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze) in international singles tournaments. Some of his important titles are:
- A European Championship (1994) in BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - A Europe "Top 12" (1994) in ArezzoArezzoArezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
(ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) - Two European leagues with Belgium (1994 and 1995)
- Six European Championship Club Cups with his Club La Villette CharleroiLa Villette CharleroiRoyal Villette Charleroi is a Belgian table tennis club, the most successful club in the European Champions League with 5 titles....
(1994, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004) - Nineteen Belgian Championships with his Club La Villette CharleroiLa Villette CharleroiRoyal Villette Charleroi is a Belgian table tennis club, the most successful club in the European Champions League with 5 titles....
- A victory at the World Pro Tour in 2001
- Two victories at the "QatarQatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
Open" (1996 and 2002)
He was also individual world vice champion in 1993, finalist at the World Cup in 1994 and 2003 and he was finalist at the world championship for teams with Belgium in 2001.
He participated to five consecutive Summer Olympic Games, from 1988, when table tennis became an official Olympic sport in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, to 2004 in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 1996 and 2004 he was the flag bearer of the Belgian team. For the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the 20 highest ranked ITTF
International Table Tennis Federation
The International Table Tennis Federation is the governing body for all national table tennis associations.-Founding history:The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales...
players were to be selected for the Olympics. Saive expected to be selected as he was tied in 20th position together with the Swede Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson is a Swedish table tennis player. In two memorable World Table Tennis Championships finals he faced fellow Swede Jan-Ove Waldner in 1989 and 1991, losing the former and winning the latter....
and there was no rule to decide what to do in case of ties. The ITTF decided they needed to play an extra playoff to determine who got the last spot.
However, they refused to play as they agreed they should both get a ticket. The ITTF then recalculated the rankings and placed Persson in 20th position and Saive in 21st. It is now unclear if Saive, who still does not want to play in the extra qualification tournaments since he believes he deserves to go, will complain through the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
for unfair treatment, he gets support from Persson and has asked the ITTF for an explanation in a letter. Eventually, Saive did play an extra qualification tournament in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, finishing third and thus qualified for his sixth successive Summer Olympics.
Both Saive and Persson, along with Croatian Zoran Primorac
Zoran Primorac
Zoran Primorac is an accomplished male table tennis player from Croatia. He is considered to be among the best European players in the last 25 years .-Biography:Primorac was born in Zadar and started playing...
, are first only table tennis players to compete at six Olympics, having been at all Games since the sport was introduced in 1988.
His successes made him the best Belgian table tennis player and he is also one of the best sportsmen of Belgium. He was elected Sports Personality of the Year 1991 and 1994. Jean-Michel Saive is known for his victories but also for his sportsmanship. He was awarded the UNESCO World Award of Fair Play in 1989.
His younger brother Philippe Saive is also a table tennis player, albeit less successful.