KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will set aside about RM1 million to build several indoor facilities to support the Malaysia Lawn Bowls Federation (MLBF) athletes who are preparing for this year’s inaugural Lawn Bowls World Cup.
The World Cup is scheduled to take place in Hong Kong in November.
KBS’s initiative follows the recent decision by the ministry, together with the National Sports Council (NSC), to include lawn bowls athletes in the podium programme after the achievements of world champion and world number one Nor Farah Ain Abdullah.
Speaking to Scoop, MLBF president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz expressed his gratitude to both KBS and NSC for their initiative, adding that this would provide a great platform for the athletes to train at their best, as the World Cup will be played indoors.
“Our athletes are used to playing and training outdoors, but indoor facilities differ significantly in terms of mat surfaces, the type of bowls used, and the rings. Even the environment and speed are different when we play the sport indoors.
“We don’t have many indoor facilities in our country. We prepared a quotation, and they have agreed to procure the necessary facilities for our athletes’ indoor training.
“The investment, which has been agreed upon, ranges from RM750,000 to RM1 million, and the price will vary based on the number of pieces of equipment purchased in the coming months.
“Apart from the World Cup, these facilities will also be beneficial for our athletes as they prepare for other major competitions, such as next year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Moving forward, lawn bowls tournaments are expected to take place more frequently indoors,” said Awalan when contacted.
Meanwhile, it is understood that NSC has also recognized the Lawn Bowls World Cup as part of its multisport event funding policy. Previously, the governing body only sanctioned MLBF athletes for team events like the Commonwealth Games and the SEA Games.
At the same time, KBS and NSC provided an additional RM30,000 in funding to MLBF to further its efforts in promoting lawn bowls and educating the public about the sport.
“We pledge to use the funding to its fullest potential by ensuring more people become aware of the sport through various carnivals and workshops this year.
“The workshops will also include bringing in school students and people of all ages to visit our facility in Bukit Kiara and provide them with training,” Awalan added.
It was reported that the 12 highest-ranked countries from the 2023 World Lawn Bowls Championship (individual event) have been invited, and each team will consist of six bowlers for the inaugural Lawn Bowls World Cup in Hong Kong, which will take place from November 4th to 8th.
Malaysia’s men’s team is currently ranked fourth in the world out of 65 countries, while the women’s team sits in fifth place, according to World Bowls rankings. – March 19, 2025