In 2010, Nenad was diagnosed with Parkinson. In 2017, he launched PingPongParkinson” – a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping as many people as possible find relief from Parkinson symptoms by playing ping pong. This initiative has quickly evolved into a global movement spanning 25 countries and five World Championships. The organization’s story is captured in a recently published book, “PingPongParkinson”: It Started with a Tremor and It’s Shaking Up the World”. On November 21, 2024, Nenad will release his seventh album.
Author: Ivana Marija Vidovic and Darko Zubrinic
Croats in Boka kotorska (in present-day Montenegro)
The region of Boka kotorska (in present-day Montenegro) is situated on the south-east of Dubrovnik and Konavle, along the Adriatic coast from Herceg Novi to very near the town of Bar. It was named after the town of Kotor, which is placed in a fascinating fjord. On the left, a detail from the photo of the “Croatian Falcon” sports club in the city of Budva (in Boka kotorska), 1914, with Croatian Coat of Arms.
Nenad Bach & PingPongParkinson appearing at ESPN / Princess Zeina Rashid of Jordan, visited the WTTC
ESPN produced segment about Nenad Bach and his journey through diagnosis of Parkinson. ESPN ( Entertainment and Sports Programming Network ) is an American-based global cable and satellite television channel. Her Royal Highness, Princess Zeina Rashid of Jordan, visited the WTTC (World Table Tennis Center) on Sunday, February 6th 2022, as the first stop on her visit to New York metro area to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the global non-profit PingPongParkinson . The purpose of Princess Zeina’s visit to the New York Metro area was to participate in celebrating and promoting the growth of PingPongParkinson .
PingPongParkinson photo-monograph by Warren Rosenberg with Nenad Bach, illustrated by Ignasi Blanch
This wonderful photo-monograph prepared is dedicated to every person who has Parkinson desease. It describes how playing table tennis can help each such person. Due to Nenad Bach, the PingPongParkinson has become a world-wide movement, as shown on the pages of the book. There are currently more than hundred chapters in numerous countries throughout the world.oran Primorac, Olympian and Ping Pong Parkinson advisor, said: “I’m honoured and intrigued to be part of this progressive idea that has the potential of helping millions of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.”
2021 PingPongParkinson German Open and ITTF Parkinson's World Table Tennis Championships
Nenad Bach’s idea of Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship gathered 21 countries in the city of Berlin, among them Croatia as well. The German Open and the World Championship showed that the competition is steadily growing each year. Nenad Bach and George Chan won gold medal in the doubles, as representatives of the USA. The next World Championship, in October 2022, will be hosted by Croatia, the homeland of Nenad Bach.
World Peace in One Hour at the United Nations
UN Chronicle: “Is Humanity able of achieving sustainable, everlasting peace? I say YES, and the time is NOW!” Musician, composer and peace activist Nenad Bach shares his ideas for achieving “World Peace in One Hour”: https://it.ly3kvgDkN. In 1984, the year he arrived in New York, the United Nations General Assembly, by resolution 39/11, adopted the Declaration of the Right of Peoples to Peace, in which United Nations Member States solemnly proclaimed that the peoples of our planet had a sacred right to peace.
Nenad Bach International Newsletter No. 57: Peace Maker
Protecting the existence of all species, sustaining life on Earth, exploring outer space, tackling disease and mortality, solving the pollution problem, coexisting with the environment, electing more women to leadership positions and creating real freedom that includes true private property: world peace is a prerequisite for all of these objectives. 25 years from Pavarotti and Friends in Modena, Italy. A Call for peace in Bosnia Herzegovina. 3 months after this concert, war ended. We partnered with Steve Rowe and Aerobic Table Tennis to produce instructional videos for PingPongParkinson.
Ragusa (Dubrovnik) in Croatia and Ragusa on the island of Sicily in Italy
The article deals with erroneous interpretation of the Ragusa veduta dating from 1695, kept at the National and University Library in Zagreb, Croatia (and there are numerous copies kept in other European libraries, the first edition originating from 1638). It was published Matthaeus Merian Sr., but it does not represent the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) in Croatia, but Ragusa on the island of Sicily in Italy. Most of the authors do not distinguish between Matthaeus Merian Sr. and his son Matthaeus Merian Jr., which has caused numerous mistakes and contradictions. It is interesting that Matthaeus Merian Jr. (on the photo) prepared a well known veduta of the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa in Croatia) in flames, after the 1667 earthquake, and not his father (who has died 17 years earlier, in 1650).
Nenad, Who Plays Ping Pong
Nenad Bach is a world-class musician that decided to stop performing publicly after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2010. In the wake of his diagnosis he discovered that playing ping pong helped to alleviate his symptoms. Now he’s attempting to help millions of others do the same. Official Selection of 2020 Mountainfilm Festival. Featured on Directors Library, May 28th, 2020. Daily Short Pick on FilmShortage.com, May 27th, 2020.
Nikola Tesla's schooling in Croatia lecture at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Paris 2020
AMCA-Paris (association of former students of Croatian universities, living in Paris), organized a lecture delivered at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Paris, dealing with the schooling of Nikola Tesla in Croatia during his formative years (from his 14th to 17 year). His most important professor from that period is Martin Sekulić, for who Tesla writes to be an ingenious man who enthused him for electricity. On the amusing photo from 1941 we can see Nikola Tesla (on the right, two years before his death) with Croatian-American boxer Fritzie Zivic, then the welter weight champion of the world. This is the only known photo on which Nikola Tesla smiles.
Nenad Bach Searching for Boredom 2019
Triumphant 2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championships, which included 62 players, 12 countries, and 130 participants. A triumph of spirit. We play for history and the 10 million who could not play. Lots of traveling, flying around the globe, as the leitmotif of the year was Ping Pong Parkinson, music and sport as the challenge of living and working with Parkinson. I feel grateful and thankful to so many friends and acquaintances who help me along the way. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New 20, Happy Holidays. World Peace in One Hour, but most of all – Peace on Earth. Let’s achieve this sooner rather than later. We have everything we need, right now. Yours, Nenad Bach
ITTF Parkinson's World Championships sucessful debut in 2019
Twelve countries participated at the First ITTF Ping Pong Parkinson Competition, organized in New York, October 11-13 2019: Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, USA. A few countries announced that they will start to organize their national competitions. Congratulations to the organizeras of the competition, and in particular to the idea and intiative of Nenad Bach (on the photo). EURoeThe idea behind this Championship is to help as many people around the world as possible to continue living with Parkinson’s Disease and to be happy, productive members of the society. We are also engaging the scientific community to look deeper into the health benefits of table tennis.
Ping Pong Parkinson launched by Nenad Bach
We provide PPP (Ping Pong Parkinson) links related to numerous activities of Nenad Bach in order to launch the PPP International competition. The first such competition was organized in New York in 2019. This was an impetus not only for international PPP competitions, but also for founding national PPP competitions. Congratulations to Nenad for his forisghtedness and perserverance. The competition will for sure become a part of Paraolympic Games in the near future. Some countries have already decided to include PPP into their national sports prgrams.
Nenad Bach in Japan at 5th World Parkinson Congress in Kyoto 2019
Nenad’s main reason of traveling around the world is promoting 2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championships . He has participated at the 5th World Parkinson Congress in Kyoto on June 2019. He reported about his experiences with Ping Pong Parkinson: Testimonial, the diagnosis and activity that prolonged my life . He promoted his ideas of World Peace In One Hour , also in Hiroshima, Nagoya and Tokyo. During his stay in Japan, he met his numerous colleagues and frineds, including Yoko Nishii (pianist, on the photo) and Hayato Iso (environmental architect). Both Yoko Nishii and Hayato Iso left visible traces in the cultural life of Croatia.
Nenad Bach promoting his World Peace In One Hour program at MedILS in the city of Split
We want to present this project through four entries: first is art, music primarily, where we want to gather the orchestra with all instruments of the world. Sport is also very important so we plan to set up ping-pong tables at the airports all around the world with “World peace in one hour” and “Ping Pong Parkinson” written on the tables’ edges.” – Nenad Bach told and emphasized how through gastronomy and fashion we need to spread awareness of ability to achieve world peace as well as awareness of Parkinson’s desease. Now, in the era of internet and social networks, it has never been easier.
Vladimir Paleeek Croatian humanist and founder of "Hungry Child" international fund in Croatia 1969
Vladimir Paleeek: “A catastrophic earthquake hit Sicily in 1968 in which many men, women, and children lost their lives. Gibellina, Salaparuta, Santa Margarita, and Montevago were wiped off the map. … When I walked through these places, when I saw hundreds of tents which had to replace warm homes, when I saw children without parents, when I saw children naked, barefooted, and hungry, who crowded around me, I came to the idea of creating a movement which would have one goal – TO HELP CHILDREN.” With this article we mark 50 years since founding “Hungry Child”, the only humanitarian NGO ever behind the “Iron Curtain”.
Ping Pong Parkinson initiative of Nenad Bach
First ever Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championships, will happen on October 11-13, 2019 in Pleasantville, New York USA at the Westchester Table Tennis Center. The ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) is supporting this event. The new project will form part of the 6th Pillar of the ITTF Foundation that promotes health through table tennis, with this first event aimed at raising awareness of Parkinson’s Disease and improving the lives of those diagnosed with it. For international music composer, Nenad Bach, table tennis has been the key to regaining his ability to play the guitar and pursue his passion for music once more. Nenad Bach: PLAYING TABLE TENNIS MADE ME FEEL 50% BETTER.
Nenad Bach International Newsletter No. 52: The Start of a New Year 2019
Dear All, the year 2018 was a productive and exciting year and 2019 which just started looks like even more exciting… and I hope as productive as well. Focus WORLD PEACE, promoting my idea of World Peace In One Hour through four Human Passions that connects us all. ART, SPORTS, GASTRONOMY and FASHION. These four passions unite us regardless of skin color, religion, education, status in society, personal wealth or political alliance. If you have a Parkinson’s diagnose and love Ping Pong, there will be the ITTF Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championships from October 11-13 here in New York. If you play any of 500+ instruments and want to play for World Peace in One Hour in the orchestra that has ALL the instruments of the world, apply!
Branko Grünbaum 1929—2018 distinguished American mathematician born in Croatia
Branko Grunbaum was born in 1929 in the city of Osijek, Croatia. He started his studies at the University of Zagreb, and then moved in 1949 to Israel, where he completed his studies in 1954 and earned his PhD at the Hebrew University in Yerusalem in 1957. In 1966 he became full professor at the the University of Washington, after spending time at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, Hebrew University and at the Michigan State University. Branko Grunbaum wrote a very interesting survey paper “The Bilinski dodecahedron, and assorted parallelohedra, zonohedra, monohedra, isozonohedra and otherhedra” (27 pp.), dealing with the work of distinguished Croatian mathematician Stanko Bilinski.
Nenad Bach at the nuclear reactor in Stockholm 30 m below
In September 2018, Nenad Bach visited the nuclear reactor in Stockholm, as a part of his @KTH appearance at the MTF 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden. It is interesting that he had the honor of playing music on a piano placed near the very bottom of the reactor. His message was an invitation to global peace: “World Peace In One Hour”. “World Peace in One Hour” is the vision of Nenad Bach, international recording artist, composer, producer and peace activist. Over the past 25 years, Nenad has crafted a Roadmap to World Peace based on the premise that “Peace is Profitable”.