On Thursday March 31 2021 Ina WIEKART – JAGER passed away after a very short illness at the age of almost 75. Ina Member of Merit of the Dutch Table Tennis Association was a well-known national and international umpire. A role she fulfilled since 1978.
Since 1978 she fulfilled the role of national umpire and in 1988 she became an International Umpire and in 2004 she passed the exam for a Blue Badge umpire.
Ina was a frequently requested umpire/referee at tournaments in The Netherlands and also umpired at several international events including at World Championships European Championships European Youth Championships European Championship and World Championship for Veterans European Games European Cup competitions and Open Championships. She has officiated at more than 80 international events.
She traveled frequently to represent her beloved sport of table tennis and was regularly asked to act as Umpire.
The highest achievement of her career was the Paralympic Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
When fulfilling her role as an umpire/(deputy-)referee she is characterized as being resolute and clear. In The Netherlands she is considered one of the driving forces behind the expert group Training Arbitration as trainer and a coach of starting umpires and as an assessor of umpires. The Dutch Table Tennis Association appointed her as a member of the Awards Grant Committee.
On 31 May 2008 Ina WIEKART – JAGER received the NTTB Insigne and on 12 May 2018 was appointed as Member of Merit of the Dutch Table Tennis Association.
For Ina’s many national and international achievements she was appointed Knight in the Order of Oranje-Nassau in 2004.
The table tennis world lost a very active and driven volunteer in Ina. We wish her husband friends and acquaintances a lot of strength in processing this loss.
