Representatives from 44 countries flock to the Gold Coast for The World Bowls Championships
Lawn bowls are back with the Gold Coast hosting the sport's top competition. But as The World Bowls Championships finds new popularity across countries you wouldn't expect competitors of all-abilities are also making their mark.
Transcript
00:00 It's a sport of precision and strategy, but don't call bowls quiet.
00:07 Over the next two weeks, 44 countries are competing at the World Bowls Championships
00:13 on the Gold Coast.
00:14 It's the biggest bowls championships ever held, with the sport gaining popularity across
00:19 Africa and the Asia-Pacific.
00:21 Bhavan Balentra hopes to take lessons home to Botswana.
00:25 It's just a whole other level compared to where we're from.
00:28 You'd have a club with probably 40, 50 members, where you guys have got thousands of members
00:34 in a single club.
00:35 Reenan and Maria Evangelisti took up bowls as a hobby during lockdowns three years ago.
00:41 Now they're representing Brazil.
00:43 Everybody can play with old people, with young people, and that's accessible for everyone.
00:52 For the first time in the championship's 57-year history, players of all abilities are competing.
00:58 It's addictive.
00:59 It's addictive.
01:00 And I think from a disability's point, it's good.
01:05 You're not given a handicap sort of thing, because you can play anyone, really.
01:09 So it's good to be on a level playing field.
01:11 The last championships were held in 2016, postponed because of COVID.
01:16 Now seven years later, there are more than 540 competitors ready to go.
01:21 We're going to go back with a hell of experience that we've gained from all of this so far.
01:26 And of course, it wouldn't be Lawn Bowls without finishing the game with a beer.
01:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]