MF BOWLING WORLD CUP INTERNET SITE LAUNCHED

 

LONDON, ENGLAND, March 30, 2004 - The AMF Bowling World Cup now has its own website.

Information on the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating nations can now be accessed on the World Wide Web at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com. Tournament manager Anne-Marie Board made the announcement today during a press conference held at the Marina Mandarin Hotel in Singapore, host city for the 40th AMF World Cup.

Board said that the new website contains facts, photos and statistics from each of the previous 39th championships, as well as bulletins and news for the current year. It will be updated as news becomes available. It will also be the official site for the daily results during the tournament, which this year will be staged December 5-12 at the new SuperBowl at SAFRA, Telok Blangah. "This will be a boon for journalists-- an online media guide that provides them with all the information they might need on countries and individuals who have competed in the World Cup throughout the years."

Board also noted afterward that the website, which can also be accessed through a link on the AMF Bowling Worldwide website (www.amf.com), is still a work in progress. "Regrettably, the records of some years have been lost or are incomplete, and we invite anyone with World Cup archives from those years to contact us, so we can add that information to the website. We would also love to hear from the competitors who have special memories and stories to tell from their participation. We can place these stories in a virtual 'scrapbook' on the website for all to share."

 

 

Roland Teo, director of SuperBowl Management Ptd Ltd, noted that the 34-lane host center would be the sixth in the SuperBowl Chain and the first with synthetic lanes (AMF's top-of-the-line 'HPL' series). SuperBowl at SAFRA, Telok Blangah, is a second-level center that is part of a larger recreational complex. It is currently under construction and should be completed in September. "This will be a S$3 million investment (approx. US$1.76 million/£1 million)," said Teo, whose SuperBowl at Marina South hosted the 1991 FIQ/WTBA World Championships.

Teo also announced that the Marina Mandarin Hotel would be the official headquarters hotel for this year's AMF Bowling World Cup.

Jessie Phua, president of the Singapore Tenpin Bowling Congress, told journalists that the STBC plans to host a series of qualifying events for its national team members to ensure "that only our very best don our national colors in this [World Cup] field."

Also present to answer questions from the media were Bernard Gibbons, World Cup tournament director; Lydia Rypcinski, World Cup media coordinator; Tony Davison, director of television for Matchroom Sports, which handles international TV distribution of the World Cup broadcast; and Remy Ong, a member of the Singapore national bowling team who has competed in two AMF World Cups.

Jack Oei, chairman of the board of Jackie's Bowl in Singapore and one of the key figures responsible for bringing the AMF World Cup to the country in 1973, attended the press conference as an honored guest of this year's organizers. Henry Tan, former Singapore national team member who finished second in the 1970 AMF Bowling World Cup, was also present.



Bowlers from 77 nations competed in the 2003 AMF Bowling World Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras last fall. Defending women's champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada has already qualified to compete in Singapore. Last year's men's champion, C.J. Suarez of the Philippines, must still win his national qualifying later this year to defend his title.

The AMF Bowling World Cup is the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating nations. Additional information on the tournament is available at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com.

SuperBowl Management Pte Ltd is part of the SuperBowl Group. More information about the company can be accessed at www.superbowl.com.sg.

AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operator of bowling centers. AMF is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. More information about AMF is available on the Internet at www.amf.com.

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NOTE: A photo from the press conference and the architect's renditions of the interior of the new SuperBowl at SAFRA, Telok Blangah, are available in JPEG format. Contact World Cup media coordinator Lydia Rypcinski at l.rypcinski@att.net to obtain any of the photo files. Photo credit for the press conference photo should be given to SuperBowl Management Pte Ltd.