Tobias Bergman, 36, has been the national team for both the men’s and women’s national team in table tennis since last fall. He is now leaving the assignment – Tobias Bergman tells SVT Sport that he was convicted of minor drug offenses in 2023, a judgment now discovered. He says he does not want to comment on the matter further, but refers to Federal Manager Thomas Buza as for his case.
– Tobias has had personal problems and this is something he has been working on for a while. It is a stressful job to be the national team and travel 150-200 days a year. This with the verdict was nothing we knew anything about and of course comes as a great shock to us and it is a personal tragedy. Now, as an employer, we will of course focus on supporting him in the best way so that he becomes healthy and can come back as a human being, says the Swedish table tennis association’s union manager Thomas Buza to SVT Sport.
Tobias Bergman was the national team captain for the women’s team since 2022 before he was also given responsibility for the gentlemen last fall when Jörgen Persson quit despite the successes at the Olympics where the Swedish men’s team tricked silver just like Truls Möregårdh in men’s singles. At the same Olympics, the women’s team achieved their greatest success when they reached the quarterfinals.
No connection to Trul’s conflict
Bergman now leaves his assignment as the national team shortly after Truls Möregårdh’s conflict with the Swedish Table Tennis Association regarding who will coach him at national team competitions. But the decision and the conflict have no connection, according to Buza.
– His efforts have never been affected and Tobias has always been appreciated by the national team players, says Thomas Buza.
For the time being, Peter Blomquist, who was the national team for the men’s national team between 2016 and 2020, takes over as the national team.