Acceptance top priority for Edmonton Table Tennis Club made up mostly of immigrants

The Edmonton Table Tennis Club is proud of its history of international acceptance.

Immigrating to a new country can be a tough transition. Something familiar like a language or even a sport can make the move much easier.

The sound of a table tennis ball bouncing from paddle to paddle isn’t just the sound of a game to Francis Pati, it’s the sound of acceptance.

Pati moved to Canada in 1970 from Fiji.

“First of all we don’t have a winter in Fiji, when I came to Canada and they said that we have winters, well, first I didn’t believe them,” Pati said.

Weather-wise, it was a rude awakening, but Pati soon adjusted to life in Edmonton. He credits table tennis for helping ease his transition.

Something John Gunraj also found after emigrating from Guyana in 1972.

“When we first came, we in many cases needed a sport that we could get to quickly and inexpensively and that’s what table tennis provides,” Gunraj, president of the Edmonton Table Tennis Club, said.

And when it comes to welcoming new members – it’s a team effort.

“It’s a warm and welcoming atmosphere and they form new friends and they develop new communities of friends,” said Gunraj.

“When we have someone new, what’s nice is they come and if they can’t speak the language, we have someone who can interpret for them,” Judy Ellefson, Edmonton Table Tennis Club member, said.

The Edmonton Table Tennis Club has about 250 members, with 80 per cent immigrating to Canada from 40 different countries.

The club keeps track of its international members on a map.

“I think if you threw a stick, you would hit five immigrants here,” Gunraj said. “We’ll start with the alphabet .. Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Israel, the United States, Guyana, South America, Venezuela, Jamaica.”

And no matter where each player comes from they find common ground at the table.

“Although their countries maybe at war or they maybe not getting along politically, when they come it shows humanity and it shows humanity at it’s best. They come, they get along, they follow the rules, they enjoy themselves,” Ellefson said.

“It’s interesting to see that all nationalities can come to this country be one,” Pati said. “We look at each other and we know I’m from Fiji, this guys Pilipino, some are from China, Korea, so we are all here in one and helping each other out here.”

Two-hundred-fifty is the highest membership the club has had in its history.