Olympics: Just a Pipe Dream?

The Olympic Games were traditionally renowned for their track and field events including swimming. However in recent years as sport has become more of an institution and the Olympics has become more of a global brand they have done what any successful brand does and expand to incorporate a wider market.

Sports such as golf and rugby sevens have been approved for the 2016 games while netball is still being considered as a demonstration sport as part of London 2012.

However one 'sport' that does not seem to have been given much air time is tenpin bowling. Despite being named as the world’s second most popular sport, after football, with more than 100 million players per year the game is yet to make an impact with the International Olympic Committee.

From a player’s point of view Zara Giles reveals that while it is not being considered by the IOC the Olympic debate surges on within the bowling industry and she believes it is only one slippery factor that is preventing their Olympic dream.

“The problem the Olympic Committee has with bowling is that the winners can be dictated by the technician putting the oil on the lane. Basically oil is laid down on every lane in all bowling centres to protect the surface of the lane from friction damage from the balls as they travel down the lane. Over the years machines have been developed to put the oil down in consistent volumes and in different areas of the lane. They have discovered that by putting different volumes of oil in different places on the lane they can control what style of bowler scores higher or lower.”

This Zara claims “is what the Committee have used as their problem to prevent bowling being included in the Olympics.”

Zara also points out that until bowling gets an official International Organisation like most other sports with a unified set of rules and regulations including oil consistencies then it will continue to sit out the biggest sporting event in the world.

Bernice Bass who represents the British Tenpin Bowling Association also believes that bowling faces a difficult task before gaining Olympic acceptance but if it comes it could be the springboard that is needed.

“Like every sport we would welcome the opportunity to be included in the Olympics. It would enhance the image of tenpin bowling and would certainly open the door to more financial help that in turn would increase participation.”

Currently, while bowling drifts along in its Olympic snub it forms one of around 35 sports that make up the World Games. The World Games are an international sports event for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games.

The World Games take place every four years, on an odd year, and were last held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2009.

Britain have only ever taken four bowling medals at the games with the first coming in 1993 in Den Haag, Netherlands when Pauline Smith brought back the gold medal. In 2001 in Akita, Japan Kirsten Penny and Steve Thornton also brought back the gold in the mixed doubles. Most recently Zara Giles has won consecutive silver medals at Duisburg, Germany in 2005 and last year in Taiwan where she narrowly lost out in a thrilling gold medal match to Finland’s Krista Pöllänen 407-378.

Click here for an alternative perception on bowling as a sport or game and its ongoing desire for Olympic approval.