The World Overseas Filipino Bowling Tour arrives in Dubai

Jay Asser 13:14 01/05/2014
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  • Strike-action: The International Bowling Centre in Mamzar will host the WOFBT.

    The World Overseas Filipino Bowling Tour (WOFBT) will bring together Filipino bowlers from across the globe from May 1-4.

    Playing host will be the Dubai Filipino Bowling Club at the International Bowling Centre in Mamzar this weekend.

    Clubs from the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South East Asia, Bahrain and Kuwait are set to participate in the event which will connect Filipinos through their common love of bowling.

    “The main purpose of the tour is to unite Filipinos through sport and to elevate the level of bowling of overseas Filipinos,” said Dubai Filipino Bowling Club’s Elsie Marcial.

    “We are grouping together to be more unified and to probably improve the bowling skills of Filipinos overseas.”

    Bowling is popular among Filipinos, especially in the UAE, because it can be played year-round, notes Marcial.

    Regional tournaments have been taking place for years, such as the GCC All-Filipino Bowling Tour which is in its 17th year, and the Southeast Asian Overseas Filipino Bowlers Invitational Tournament which has been running for 28 years.

    The WOFBT is the “natural progression” and next step in adjoining the regional tournaments. It will run biennially with the next tour leg taking place in 2016.

    A number of titles will be awarded in the scratch tournament with events in singles, team and masters, while the club with the most points will win the overall championship trophy.

    As the maiden tournament, the event was a challenge to put together in order to bring as many Filipino bowling clubs together as possible. Nevertheless, the turnout has provided a solid foundation to build on for future legs.

    “We didn’t really expect a huge participation but we are quite happy with what we have at the moment,” said Marcial.

    In the coming editions of the tour, the hope is more clubs will enter from Asia, Europe and the Americas and many have already expressed their interest in participating and even hosting the event.

    Marcial said: “We have planted the seeds and we hope it will grow.”

    VENUE: Dubai International Bowling Centre in Mamzar
    WHAT: The World Overseas Filipino Bowling Tour
    WHEN: Thursday, May 1 to Sunday, May 4
    Sport360 VERDICT: Club registration is closed but spectators can still view a weekend of skilled bowling, camaraderie and sportsmanship.
    CONTACT: Elsie Marcial, [email protected] or 055 525 2370

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