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Alberta’s Senior Official: Lai Chu Kong
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Lai Chu Kong began table tennis in Alberta approximately 40 years ago. She trained as a player in the early years and represented Alberta on the Provincial team in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Lai Chu recognized that Alberta Table Tennis needed volunteers to organize events. She began as a Provincial Referee during the year and acquired her Provincial Referee certificate in 1979. Several years passed and Lai Chu gained valuable experience which prepared her for National Umpire in 2006 and National Referee in 2008. She was the organizer and referee for the popular “Edmonton Chinatown Open” continuously for over 25 years, and organized training camps for youth during the same time frame. Lai Chu has provided education to the new umpires in table tennis through seminars and exams.
Lai Chu never thought that her role of local organizer for events would ever lead to the international competitions that she has attended during the past 10 years. She continually finds time to return service to her Province each and every year. Officials like Lai Chu never forget that it is the support of their province that has helped them achieve their current status. This is a symbiotic relationship.
After becoming an International Umpire, Lai Chu attended the following events:
- 2006 – ITTF Canadian Open in Edmonton, Alberta
- 2007 – Parapanamerican Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2010 – World Junior Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia
- 2011 – Parapanamerican Games in Mexico City, Mexico
- 2013 – World Junior Championships in Rabat, Morocco
- 2015 – Parapan American Games in Toronto, Ontario
Lai Chu has received certificates of her involvement in community including:
- Volunteer Award, from the Member of Parliament, Anne McClellan (2001, 04)
- Volunteer Award, from the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien (2001, 05)
- Alberta Centennial Award for Outstanding Volunteer Community Service (2005, 10)
And numerous certificates of appreciation from each of the major games. She was recognized on stage at the closing ceremonies in 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China as one of 12 “volunteer representatives” . This was a highlight of her career in table tennis.
Alberta and Canada are fortunate to have Lai Chu Kong as one of our table tennis officials.
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