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A Recent Statement From Bowls England Regarding Bowls
Becoming An Olympic Sport
Bowls
England
has received a number of enquiries to ask why bowls is
not an Olympic sport, and what is being done to address
this, especially with London being hosts for the 2012
Games.
The
current Olympic Games programme (Summer & Winter Games)
includes 35 sports and nearly 400 events. There is a lot
of work that needs to be done to gain Olympic
recognition, and it is a long process with lots of
competition from other sports wishing to be included.
Firstly, for any sport to be considered, it must be
played throughout all of the Olympic areas in the world.
In the case of lawn bowls, the Caribbean has many
National Olympic Committees yet no lawn bowls is
currently played in any of these countries.
World
Bowls is currently investigating the possibility of
introducing the sport into the Caribbean and is liaising
with the Commonwealth Games Federation, which has
expressed a possible willingness to assist with this as
part of its strategy to grow participation in
Commonwealth Games ‘core’ sports. World Bowls is also
now a Member of the Confédération Mondiale des Sports de
Boules (CMSB). The CMSB is already part of the Olympic
movement as a Recognised International Federation for
all bowls type sports, and it is felt that this will
bolster the lobbying powers for bowls type sports
(including lawn bowls) to be included in the Olympic
Games in the future.
The I.O.C.
continues to review the sports programme for the Summer
Games and is now committed to having 28 sports in the
2016 Olympic Games. The shortlist for inclusion in 2016
– from which two will be chosen – features rugby,
baseball, softball, karate, squash, golf and roller
sports – and a decision will be made in October 2009.
Bowls England
will continue to support all efforts made by World Bowls
to achieve Olympic recognition for our sport.
August 2008
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