Olympics

[Ebonite Jnr]

Should Tenpin Bowling Be a sport in the olympics?I would much rather watch tenpin bowling the syncro swimming or baseball, or equestrian. whats people opinion on this?should it be an olympic sport?and which Aussies do u think should represent Australia?

 

[wchester]

I don't believe bowling belongs in the Olympics for the simple reason that the playing field is not fair to all participants. The bowler who performs best isn't always the same one who ends up in first place. This reason and this reason alone is enough to keep our sport out of the Olympics

 

[Deano]

Just another positive hey wayne?

Deano

 

[Straight_kut]

too many variables

 

[AdrianS]

IOC are crooks!!

 

[wchester]

Just another positive hey wayne?
Deano

Just being honest Deano....

Yes, I'd like to see bowling in the Olympics, but in all honesty it won't happen for the reasons I wrote above. You know it, I know it, and everyone else knows it, so let's stop kidding ourselves and admit it. Or would you rather I pretend I'm ignorant?

 

[Ebonite Jnr]

I don't believe bowling belongs in the Olympics for the simple reason that the playing field is not fair to all participants. The bowler who performs best isn't always the same one who ends up in first place. This reason and this reason alone is enough to keep our sport out of the Olympics

But isnt it like that in any sport. anyone can perform good and not get 1st. thats the nature of competitive sports, the olympics bring out the best to compete against the best,im sure many olypians perform to there best, but quiet often get beaten by someone better, its the way sports are you win some you loose some thats life, just like bowling brings out the best of the best in many tournaments around the world. Why do we have National and international bowling tournaments then? to find the best of the best and to compete against the best of the best from other countrys, no different to bowling in the olympics and winning a medal for your country, just not wining a pay out from a prize fund ,least u are there representing your country

 

[JWhitty]

Yes, you get beaten by someone better and that's okay. That's not what Wayne said. In fact it's totally not what he said.

How often during league do you crush an 8 or 9 pin, and watch the much lower average bowler bust it right in the beak for a strike? That's not being beaten by someone better, that's being beaten by an amount of luck.

Also, I believe you would have to restrict the equipment significantly - if you want to measure someone's ability to hit the spot consistently, the ball shouldn't matter.

Finally, I agree synchronised swimming is fairly pointless. I understand the value in most of the racing sports (Faster, Higher, Stronger - historically it's sensible). Personally I prefer the battle sports such as the football. Both racing and battle sports have clear origins from warrior skills. Bowling is 100% artificial, it has exactly the same right to be there as synchronised swimming in my opinion (which is to say both should be out, but since the synchronised swimming is in...)

I'm with Wayne, I'd like to see it there, but seriously...

Flame away, by all means.

 

[cjallstar]

but thats the whole point about the olympics its about the moment there and then if you perform on the day and win it does'nt mean you got lucky it just meant things went your way on the day do we all forget about "stephen bradbury" if you want to talk about sports why shouldnt bowling be apart of it its still a mental game aswell such as gymnastics, athletics , swimming , and the list goes on they are just a little more active than some but it still a sport. shoot me down i can take it ive played competive tennis as a junior around the world and soccer at nsl youth level if i won its because it was my day if i lost i was still [pissed off but thats life its how you look at it so i say put tenpin bowling in the olympics if its succseful the great bring it on but if it flops then its a lesson learnt

 

[Phluff]

Yes, I'd like to see Tenpin Bowling in the Olympics, alot of people would.

No, I don't think it should be there in it's current form. Unless changes are made then it will never be there.

Lucky breaks with the bounce of a pin aren't really the issue. These have no more effect than a gust of wind at the archery & trap shoot events, a stray bag on the road cycling course or a flat bit of water in the sailing. The problem is lane conditions and ball specs, and this problem is what will stop Bowling ever being an Olympic event unless the industry can work together in the interest of the game not the back pocket.

edit: I'd like to say that the reason I would like to see bowling there is because it is a "result" game, unlike events such as diving and gymnastics where the result is based on judges scores. Give me an event where the winner is the one who out scores the opposition any day!

 

[PeterB]

Isn't there an element of luck in any sport we play?

 

[Zoidberg]

I think it should be included but however, I think the equipment should be controlled heavily just like in other Olympic sports. For example, the bowlers are only allowed 2 balls: a plastic spare ball and a solid urethane ball that has a standard/common shape weightblock (e.g. such as Lane #1's diamond). The reason why I didn't include reactive and particle balls is because that complicates things and especially how these days the ball is pretty much designed to be a hook-in-a-box ball which is doing more work than the bowler.

 

[willey]

I can't believe the Tripe being written in this thread, Fact#1, the only people who Bag Bowling are Bowlers, the rest of the World don't know, or care, about it's Nuances.

The game is what it is now, we can't go back so you have to live with it. With multi Oiling procedures for Tournaments, the Best allrounder can become the Champion, it should eliminate any reason, to Trick up the lanes, to reduce Scores.

willey

 

[BELMO]

Great topic:

Sync swimming and all the above sports mentioned, have the right to be there just as much as any other sport lucky enough to be in the games.

As a bowler, i hate it when i hear the words "bowling is not a sport and its boring" uttered out of a non bowlers mouth. They know nothing of our sport and yet they still have the audacity to claim its not sport.

So i choose my words very carefully when i talk about another sport that i know nothing about.

If been in the games requires skill, talent, dedication and the ability to perform a task in that sport better than anyone else, then why should these sports NOT be in??

How many of you can sync swim, hit a curve ball at 90 mph or race a bike for hundreds of k's??
If a sport was in the games, where there was no skill at all involved then i would be in an outrage.
But for the life of me, i can not see a single sport in the games where i say to myself "yep, i can do that better"...

back to the topic.......Should bowling be in the games??
I really do think so!!! For a number of reasons.

The Olympics is about universal sports.
Bowling has over 150 nations that compete in some kind of bowling tournament, with more than 20 countries strong enough to win a medal in a discipline within bowling, its the most participated non Olympic Sport in the world and in the words of Magnus Andersson (Hall of fame coach and Ex coach of Team Sweden) "if thats not enough to be selected in the Olympics, than i dont know what is".

Bowling is a universal sport, it can be easily televised and everyone in the world (a hint of a slight exaggeration haha) knows the very basic rules behind bowling. Knock over the white things and dont roll the ball in the gutter.

We deserve our spot, but in fairness so do the sports already in for what ever reasons they have, that we dont know!


I have read here why some think it wont be??

To be honest I dont think the IOC gives a $hit about brooklyn's, trip 4's, roll 2 pins, bowling balls, lane oils, lane surface.......thats the WTBA's job to fix.

Should we get into the games, does it matter what specifications the equipment is? Who cares what the bowlers are allowed to use, the best will still win, but if you are one of those guys/girls who thinks that luck will determine a medal..... make the format 100 games. Total pins wins. How much luck will come involved to the top 3?? Not much at all!

Any comments??

Jason Belmonte

 

[cjallstar]

as a bowler coming back after five years off i agree with ya belmo its just disapointing that the only time that i think you will ever see bowling in the olympics is when it will be held in the U.S.A and the point that everyone seems to be using LUCK its not about luck i refer to my earlier post "IF IT GOES RIGHT FOR YOU ON THE DAY THEN IT WAS YOUR DAY " I just watched your masters match You looked knackered but things just didnt go your way and the young english guy "sorry forgotten name already " things just went his way its not about luck. its about time the sport got the recognition it deserves time for WTBA and other national organizations to stand up and be Counted or we will always be known as The SOCIAL SPORT of world because thats where it is at the moment

 

[mickyd213]

When the Ten pin bowling was in the Commonwealth games at Kuala Lumpur (spelling???) Did the gold medalist win gold based on luck or skill??? Then it was canned from Manchester... don't know why. It seemed to be a successful event in Malaysia.

 

[jamver]

I've only returned to bowling since the very early 90s so I wasn't aware of the Commonwealth Games entry. I was aware of the planned exhibition event at Atlanta 1996 - how did that go?
Anyhow, on the topic of CG Ten Pin Bowling, it seems something did come out of it in that there is now a biennial Commonwealth Competition with medals awarded and endorsed by the ICGF.
This link is some information on the 2006 CTBC.
http://www.tenpin.org.au/2006ctbc/media.htm

 

[OTB]

I think you would find Bowling at the KL games was a demo sport, which I think the host nation can choose. The success there was due to the local popularity of the sport.

I was lucky enough to go to the Commonwealth games athletes reception lunch in Melbourne. It was quite strange, the bowlers were introduced to a very luke warm reception from those that were there to see swimmers and 'athlete's'. When we got to see the bowlers they were relieved to see a familiar face (and these guys won gold!), still remember Frank Ryan couldn't wait to show us the medals, it was pretty cool. Manchester dropped it for their own reasons I guess.

Should Bowling be in the Olympics? I guess it's a unique sport in many ways.
Like Golf, its one of the sports where the majority still see it as a recreational activity.

Its also the only sport I can think of where you can almost completely miff a shot and get the perfect result. But why would the IOC care about this, would they even know?

Having said that, its fair to say the representatives at Olympic level would be the best the countries could send, just like the world cup. You aren't going to get lucky Eddy throwing pies and getting away with it.

It's like many sports, at the advanced level, the competitors are athletes.
Bowling is a complicated game of skill. It has a niche viewing audience but a huge participation rate. It's interesting to know what the IOC is looking for, spectacle to the masses? Or sports where funding is the key?

You would think the Asian veiwing market would be substantial for the Olympic Bowling.

As a secondary question to should it be there.
What events or format would it take?
You look at the tennis and it's a straight elimination event, matchplay. Should it be a best of 7 matchplay or a grind out 'endurance' event?

As bowlers, we all think it should be there because we would appreciate the skill involved. Maybe they could nudge curling from the winter olympics and we could get in that way.

Cheers
David

 

[JWhitty]

Some good valid passionate points there Belmo, and I agree to some degree with most of it, especially this;

To be honest I dont think the IOC gives a about brooklyn's, trip 4's, roll 2 pins, bowling balls, lane oils, lane surface.......thats the WTBA's job to fix.

Wouldn't it be great to see this addressed and the sport regain some credibility with Joe Public.

It'd be great as well to have Channel 7's "Aussie's in Play" list one of our best coming up on the lanes, and maybe have some of those Joe Public cheering them on.

Where we've gone astray as a credible sport is putting the control into the hands of the competitors too much. Allowing the participants to dictate the evolution of the sport by letting us make a thousand different types of balls with a thousand different cores from a dozen different materials has made the sport reactive.

Set the sport back 30 years (not that I was around, whatever my gray hairs may suggest), and perhaps that will be more credible to someone like the IOC.

Of course we'd have to take candlepin, ninepin and duckpin (no idea what that's actually called) in with us too, bring on the bowling revolution

 

[jockey]

Bowling loses out for the simple fact you can make an error and still get the maximum result due to the mirror image pin setup. Sport always requires a little luck but with bowling a serious error can yield the maximum result which is one of the reasons I think bowling loses when the IOC looks at it.

Tenpin ticks off the main criteria such as participation by a large number of countries, participants are subject to Anti Doping policies and that its participants demonstrate the sportsmanship the IOC wants to see in events yet it still never has got a look in except for the exhibition event held at Seoul in 88.

Maybe we need to look at running events where a cross over shot has to be rebowled but you are on the second cycle with a subsequent cross over scoring zero. This will force greater emphasis on skill and consistency of shotmaking.

We also need to have a serious look at ball technology to see where we draw the line in assistance to a bowler and return the emphasis back to the bowler having knock down the pins not the ball surface as is the current case.