World Bowls is continuing its push for the sport’s inclusion on the Olympic stage.
As part of a broader and long-term campaign for Olympic and Paralympic inclusion – Bowls for Brisbane 2032 – World Bowls staged a special broadcast feature match on Tuesday, December 8, between Team China and a Rest of the World team.
The third instalment of the Bowls for Brisbane showcase matches was played at cluBarham, New South Wales, Australia, on the eve of the first-ever World Bowls Series finals.
China’s squad featured Gao Minghao, Tang Yiwei, Yu Qiaohan, Zheng Shengyan and team leader Pang Zheng, while in the Rest of the World team were Selina Goddard (New Zealand), Dawn Hayman (Australia), Ross Owen (Wales) and Jack McShane (Australia).
With a stellar field of players, the match did not disappoint the lively crowd watching. The ROW took the honours in the first set, with Team China clinching the second to force a tiebreak.
And that went right to the wire with the Rest of the World winning on a thrilling tie-breaker end, thanks to a cracking shot by skip Ross Owen with his last bowl of the game.
MVP was Yu Qiaohan.
World Bowls director Darryl Clout made the presentations.
This was the third match of its kind – the first took place during Bowls Australia’s BPL22 when Australia took on the challenge of a ROW team with the second game taking place during the inaugural World Cup in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia with the ROW selected players facing Malaysia.
This campaign, and accompanying high-profile showcase match idea, has been in careful development for some time and involves many moving parts across both the able-bodied and para-sport sectors, and engagement with various peak bodies such as International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee and Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee.
Importantly, the matches have spotlighted both able-bodied and para-athletes, helping to demonstrate the inclusive nature of our sport and its alignment with the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
World Bowls CEO Neil Dalrymple said: “We witnessed a great contest between a young and inexperienced Chinese team and much more experienced quartet of international bowlers. It was a great showcase of Bowls played in excellent spirit and emphasized the importance of why Bowls is a global and inclusive sport that would be a great addition to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic program in Brisbane in 2032.”
BECOME A BARRACKER
As part of the campaign, bowlers, club members and supporters are invited to become Barrackers.
Barrackers will champion Bowls for Brisbane 2032 by signing up and helping raise awareness, showing the world that the sport enjoys passionate grassroots support. To become a Barracker, see https://bowls.com.au/events-page/bowls-for-brisbane-2032/
Caption: Team China and the ROW squad
