World Bowls has been inundated with messages inferring that a decision by the World Bowls Tour to exclude some bowlers from Israel from entering into this Championship was made by World Bowls. This of course is not an event owned or staged by World Bowls.
As a result, on Tuesday, the following statement was released on their Website and social media platforms.
“World Bowls is the recognised international sports federation for the sport of Bowls globally.
The World Bowls Tour (WBT) is not affiliated with World Bowls and is a separate organisation that organises the World Indoor Bowls Championship staged in January each year. Their decision to deny entry for some players from Israel to this event in January 2025 is a decision that the WBT Directors have made and World Bowls has no connection or involvement in this decision.
World Bowls has 60 member countries from across the world including Israel and all of our members continue to be welcome and eligible to participate in all World Bowls staged events. At our recent World Bowls Junior Indoor Championships in Hong Kong China in early December, we were pleased to have Israel represented at this event.”
Neil Dalrymple, Chief Executive Officer, World Bowls
World Bowls Tour Response
Whether or not it was as a result of the World Bowls statement, on the same day it was announced that Israeli players will now be allowed to compete in January’s World Indoor Bowls Championships after the World Bowls Tour (WBT) reversed their earlier ban prompted by pressure from pro-Palestinian groups.
Initially, invitations to three Israeli players—Daniel Alomin, Amnon Amar, and Itai Rigbi—were withdrawn due to political concerns following Israeli participation in the Scottish International Open. However, following “significant additional security measures,” the players were reinstated.
The decision was welcomed by local MP Rupert Lowe, who had strongly criticized the ban, calling it discriminatory. The WBT expressed relief at resolving the issue to include players from all countries. The initial ban had drawn criticism, including from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which labelled it discriminatory, and the UK government, which called the ban “deeply disappointing.”
Pro-Palestinian groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, had campaigned for the ban, citing Israel’s alleged apartheid policies. Israel denies these accusations.
Similar controversies have occurred in other sports, though bans on Israeli athletes have generally been overturned, reflecting broader debates over sports and political conflicts.
