Mats BANDSTIGEN CEO of Stiga Sports AB passes away

Mats BANDSTIGEN the Chief Executive Officer of the world renowned Stiga Sports AB company passed away on Friday 8th May. BANDSTIGEN suffered a heart attack; he was only 46 years old. Mats BANDSTIGEN very much re-established the name of STIGA as a world l

Mats BANDSTIGEN the Chief Executive Officer of the world renowned Stiga Sports AB company passed away on Friday 8th May. BANDSTIGEN suffered a heart attack; he was only 46 years old.

Mats BANDSTIGEN very much re-established the name of STIGA as a world leader in the sport of table tennis. His father Bengt BANDSTIGEN founded Banda the company who supported Jan-Ove WALDNER in his early career. Later when Stiga having been the market leader in the 1960s faced financial problems he bought the name. In 1999 Mats BANDSTIGEN succeeded his father as the Chief Executive Officer of STIGA Sports AB.

Successful in the world of business Mats BANDSTIGEN also enjoyed success as a player especially in junior days; where as Mats ANDERSSON he was very much a major player in the Swedish Junior Team.

At the 1983 European Youth Championships alongside Niklas EKERSTAD Johan FALLBY and Thomas von SCHEELE he was a member of the Swedish outfit that won the Cadet Boys’ Team title; he was runner up with Thomas Von SCHEELE in the Cadet Boys’ Doubles event and bronze medallist in the Cadet Boys’ Singles.

At the 1985 European Youth Championships he was a member of the gold medal winning Junior Boys’ Team.

In 1986 Mats ANDERSSON reached the semi-final stage of the Junior Boys’ Doubles event at the European Youth Championships with Thomas von SCHEELE the player he beat in the final of the Cadet Boys’ Singles event at the Swedish National Championships in 1984 and two years later in the Junior Boys’ Singles final.

Mats ANDERSSON retired from international play in 1987 and assumed the name Mats BANDSTIGEN; under his initiative the company becoming major supporters of the International Table Tennis Federation.

They were the table suppliers for the 2013 and 2015 World Team Cup competitions they supplied the clothing for the volunteers at the recent Qoros 2015 World Championships whilst supporting the Daily Review and Shot of the Day.

He is sadly missed; our thoughts and those of the whole table tennis world are with his family.