Gold Coast set for biggest World Bowls Champs
The biggest World Bowls Championships ever staged is poised to commence on the Gold Coast tomorrow, with 44 nations descending on the region.
Supported by Tourism and Events Queensland and Major Events Gold Coast, the sport’s pinnacle international competition will feature more competing countries, players, host clubs and gold medal opportunities than ever before, after a seven-year hiatus resulting from COVID postponements.
More than 1244 matches will be staged across the 12 competition days, from August 29 to September 10, with over 540 players and coaches set to take to the greens of five Gold Coast bowls clubs, including Broadbeach, Helensvale, Musgrave, Mudgeeraba and Paradise Point.
11 gold medals will be contested, with three para-sport disciplines staged alongside the able-body disciplines for the first time, with seven finals set to be held at Helensvale on the first weekend of September 2 and 3, and the remaining four able-body final deciders staged at Broadbeach on the second weekend of September 9 and 10.
A total of 1244 matches will be played across the two weeks, culminating in the awarding of the Leonard Trophy for the best performed men’s nation, the Taylor Trophy for the women’s nation, and a new trophy for the para.
The last World Bowls Championships was staged in 2016, in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Australia was the best performed nation with four gold medals from eight disciplines in their best result abroad.
The most recent staging of the event on Australian soil occurred in 2012 in Adelaide, South Australia, which marked Australia’s most successful result, with five out of eight gold medals.
The Right at Home Australian Jackaroos are the most successful nation at the event, with 21 gold medals, ahead of New Zealand’s 18, Scotland’s 13, England and Ireland’s 12 and South Africa’s 10.
Live-streaming of preliminary rounds will be available on Bowls Australia’s YouTube and Facebook pages, and the finals across the two weekends of September 2/3, and 9/10 will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
The event’s opening ceremony will be staged at Club Helensvale from 4.30pm today, and live-streamed on Bowls Australia’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
