Controlling body World Bowls (WB) and host nation Bowls Australia (BA) have agreed to the rescheduled dates of the World Bowls Championships, confirming the event will be postponed a year from its original date.

As a result of the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, the 2020 World Bowls Championships, which were set to be staged on the Gold Coast, Queensland, from May 26 to June 7, has been moved to May 25 to June 6, 2021.

Following on from the sport’s pinnacle international competition will be the staging of the $275,000 prize-money 2021 Australian Open, to be held on the Gold Coast from June 12 to 25.

BA Chief Executive Officer Neil Dalrymple said that while the postponement of the event was unfortunate, he was thankful to all parties involved.

“We have been monitoring the coronavirus situation and its implications on our upcoming events closely for several months, and the cancellation and postponement of many of our high-profile national and international events was certainly an unfortunate but necessary consequence of protecting the health and wellness of all bowls stakeholders,” Dalrymple said.

“Today, I am happy to announce to all players, officials, spectators and volunteers that BA, along with all the major stakeholders involved, fully intend to deliver an exciting and special month of bowls on the Gold Coast in 2021.

“While this has undoubtedly been a difficult time for many in the bowls community and wider communities, we hope this news can provide some optimism to those doing it tough.”

BA acknowledges the invaluable support of Tourism and Events Queensland and City of Gold Coast in the preparation and delivery of the World Bowls Championships event.

Rescheduled dates:
Practice Days: Saturday May 22 to Monday, May 24, 2021
Competition Days: Tuesday, May 25 to Sunday, June 6, 2021