Bowling for the Winter Olympics

[Greig]

OK, I accept that this idea may be a little from "left field" but has anyone ever considered Tenpin Bowling for the Olympic Winter Games?
There has been many threads on this site over the years about getting our great sport into the Olympics, but I don't recall any suggestion of trying for the Winter Games.
Maybe bowling isn't the traditional Winter Olympic sport but, it's played all year round, even a better sport in winter because of the weather factor.
At the Winter Games being played in Canada at the moment (and I love the Winter Olympics) there is just 86 medals events in just 7 sports.
We know the summer games are pretty much full, but the winter games, not nearly such a full program.
Surely there's sufficient time to include tenpin bowling between the alpine skiing and the figure skating. After all, alpine skiing isn't on at night, bowling would be.
I think it should be considered. What do you think?

 

[willey]

This idea has been explored before.

willey

 

[steve jones]

Bowling was put before the IOC as a possible inclusion to the Winter Games not long after it was a Demonstration sport in Seoul in 1988.....it was also discussed again at the Centennial IOC Congress in Paris in 1994.

Here's the logic behind the 1994 discussions. It is far easier to add a sport as a "discipline" of one already sanctioned as a medal sport in the Games. The 1994 discussions primarily came about on the back of "Curling" which was at that time set to become a Winter Medal sport for both men and women [it had been a Winter Mens sport in 1924 and had been in other Olympics but not as an "official" medal event] - and in fact Curling become official at the Nagano Winter Games in 1998.

I think it is obvious how those discussions concluded given bowling is still on the outer.

Does this mean that the Winter Games door is closed to bowling - well nothing officially is ever closed with the IOC......they will always entertain submissions from sports that qualify under the basic requirements. Sports can knock themselves out for years and years and spend tens of millions of dollars in the process of chasing medal status - at the end of the day however certain realities need to be considered. If I sound cynical - well you'd be right.

However, times change and so too attitudes and the people that make the decisions- and bowling may have it's opportunity at some future IOC Congress - be it winter or summer games - who knows!

 

[$$Pricey$$]

isnt the winter olympics supposed to be just for the sports that involve snow and/or ice??

 

[bigman]

isnt the winter olympics supposed to be just for the sports that involve snow and/or ice??

you would think so hence the winter games lol .

 

[jockey]

Enter Elf bowling. Lol.

 

[lovey]

Wonder how many revs Belmo would get bowling on ice.
Cheers Lovey

 

[WAC4504]

I don't even watch the Olympics any moor, I truly believe that it's a game of the highest bidder wins when it comes to what is a "sport". As far as bowling goes I wish the IOC would just give us the price tag so we can see what of ransom we have to raise. Just my opinion.

 

[Fitzy]

isnt the winter olympics supposed to be just for the sports that involve snow and/or ice??

you would think so hence the winter games lol .

Nope.

A winter sport is a sport commonly played during winter. As a formal term, it refers to a sport played on snow or ice, but informally can refer to sports played in winter that are also played year-round like basketball.

 

[steve jones]

Correct Fitzy and that was the whole point. The push for consideration for inclusion of bowling onto the Winter agenda came largely from countries [such as the USA and Canada] who [at the time] regarded competitive bowling as pretty much a winter past time. To these countries it was normal to consider that winter was the time to bowl league and tournaments - not exclusively - but generally speaking. Thus bowling was a natural fit for the Winter Games. If you live in that environment the mind set is obvious and plain common sense.

The synergy with Curling was also obvious [well to some] and included an auditorium that was critically temperature and humidity controlled already in place, easily removable ice "lanes" that could simply and swiftly be replaced by bowling lanes - the fact that bowing competition could be limited in number [4 per team the same as Curling] was a huge advantage given the focus at the time on the numbers of athletes and officials attending the Summer games ["gigantism" was the word framed by the IOC at the time for the way things were going]......and much more besides....but you get the idea.

One of the the biggest issues as I recall [and it had little to do with was there snow or ice on the ground] was that the Curling as a sport occupies the lions share of a two week Winter Olympic program [11 of 14 days or something like that] ...........bowling simply could not get enough time to do the stadium switch and run a reasonable series of events that achieved the right degree of importance. There were other issues of course - there always are - but the time frame was a real problem.

In retrospect it may now appear to have been an attempt that was off target - at the time however, and for an energised organisation [that was the IOC lobby group for bowling] it appeared to be a logical approach to make - and why not - after all, all they could do was say "thanks but no thanks" - but if on the off chance they had said "yes".......well now..where would the sport be today I wonder!

 

[jason_85]

EXTREME ICE BOWLING!!!!!

bowling balls with spikes which will deploy at the bottom of the lane to generate hook!!!!!

 

[Fitzy]

EXTREME ICE BOWLING!!!!!

bowling balls with spikes which will deploy at the bottom of the lane to generate hook!!!!!

Nice! You can throw the ball with one hand and have the spike release remote in the other!

Personally, I can see that catching on. I'm in!!

Now how to get it up and running! Hmmm.

 

[jason_85]

I am putting out a call to all game developers to give us conventional bowling players an idea of what this concept could look like!!!

In terms of location, maybe we could strike a deal with the ice hockey team down in oakleigh to use the rink on a part time basis. We teach them to bowl and they can teach us to skate!!??

 

[bigman]

EXTREME ICE BOWLING!!!!!

bowling balls with spikes which will deploy at the bottom of the lane to generate hook!!!!!

the spikes would have to be small just enough to grip other wish it would be like throwing a reactive ball on lanes with no oil on them lol but the lanes would be detroyed from the strikes fast though thats the other problem with your idea but none the less its a good and fun concept lol.

 

[jason_85]

the spikes would have to be small just enough to grip other wish it would be like throwing a reactive ball on lanes with no oil on them lol but the lanes would be detroyed from the strikes fast though thats the other problem with your idea but none the less its a good and fun concept lol.

I guess you are right.. we would probably need a narrower version of the zamboni!!!!! or maybe a crazy dual lane zamboni... with the chassis from a grape harvester!!!! LOL!!! I can feel the mad scientist in me coming to the surface!!!! IGOR... PULL THE PLUG!!!!

 

[AdrianS]

hmmmm, they're called particle balls last i heard

ps
Stay off the drugs you lot!!!!

 

[Bigsy]

Wonder how many revs Belmo would get bowling on ice.
Cheers Lovey

Imagine Belmo throwing 550rpm with a ball that had little metal studs sticking out for some backend ice reaction.

He would certainly tear up the lane.

Bigsy...

 

[atx106]

I apologise for resurrecting this thread but I remember seeing somewhere on Google Images a blog from someone's trip to eastern Europe, and staying with family how had a frosted wooden bowling lane (not regulation obviously but somewhat correctly sized), and instead of oil they'd spray the lane with water and let it freeze over. Obviously the ice would be somewhat friction less, but I'd not recommend hooking the ball or using an expensive ball for that matter. Just a thought... Hopefully eventually bowling will make any of the Olympics. Cheers.