World Bowling hands in Tokyo 2020 application with support from 1 million Japanese fans

LAUSANNE, June 8th 2015 - This morning World Bowling submitted its application to be considered by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee (Tokyo 2020) as an additional event for inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. One of 33 sports invited by the organizing committee to submit an application, World Bowling has highlighted the universality of the sport along with its ability to engage with fans from every generation and on every level of competition.

Alongside the document, Japan Bowling Congress (JBC), the National Bowling Federation of Japan, has collected nearly 1,000,000 signatures to show the level of National support for the Bowling’s inclusion in their capital city’s Games. The signatures collected by JBC were collected from participants of Japanese bowling centers from around the country. The JBC will continue to gather support in this form until the final decision is made by Tokyo 2020 in September 2015.

In this application, World Bowling highlighted different elements that make the sport of Bowling a great match for the Olympic Games: a relatable sport that brings generations together. Being a truly new sport to the Olympic programme, Bowling combines top athletic ability with broad accessibility and high participation, a lifetime sport that attracts people from all backgrounds and posts long-lasting health benefits. The 2020 Olympic Games is the ideal platform to present Bowling and the positive message of inclusion in order to multiply the impact of sport to new regions and demographics.

World Bowling President, Mr. Kevin Dornberger says “World Bowling is delighted to have the opportunity to apply for the Additional Event Programme for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Bowling is truly a global game and will offer a high level of fan engagement to the event. Japan boasts a huge Bowling community and we have their support behind us as we enter this pursuit. This is Bowling’s time.”

For further information on World Bowling please contact:

World Bowling

Megan Tidbury, PR & Marketing Director

Avenue de Rhodanie 54

1007 Lausanne

Switzerland

Telephone: +41 78 830 3651; Email: megan@worldbowling.org