Bowls Australia voices 'deep concern' over possibility it could vanish from Commonwealth Games

Bowls Australia (BA), the nation's governing body for lawn bowls, has expressed its "deep concern" for its elite athletes and high-performance pathways with several sports to be left off the next Commonwealth Games schedule.

On Wednesday, Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) boss Craig Phillips confirmed a scaled-back program at the reorganised Glasgow 2026 could include as few as 10 sports.

This week, the Scottish government rubber-stamped Glasgow to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games following the Victorian government's decision to cancel the Games last year.

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The agreement comes after Commonwealth Games Scotland secured support from the UK government, as well as an additional contribution from CGA worth roughly $4.5 million.

With financial support pledged, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) can now formally award the Games to Glasgow in the coming weeks.

With the quadrennial event in danger of becoming obsolete, the plan is for the next edition to debut a new-look structure that is more sustainable in the long-term.

However, this will see several sports drop off the program at Glasgow 2026.

CGA currently provides funding and support to 22 member sports including Bowls Australia.

But as a result of the overhaul, up to 12 sports could be omitted.

Phillips said the only sports promised a place in the program were athletics and swimming, with track cycling also an "obvious" choice.

On Thursday, BA joined Swimming Australia and Athletics Australia in publicly backing Glasgow's bid to get the Games off the ground.

However, the organisation said all of the sport's stakeholders in Australia would be eagerly awaiting the confirmed 2026 program announcing the included sports.

In a statement issued by BA president Matt Burgess and BA CEO Matthew Kennedy, the organisation said it was fearful of the impact being shut out from the Games would have on the sport.

"The Commonwealth Games is Bowls' pinnacle," the statement read.

"BA's primary considerations at this time are for the sport's elite athletes who, on the back of some amazing results at last year's World Bowls Championships, have prepared tirelessly for the next Commonwealth Games without any certainty around its location or timing.

"In addition to this deep concern for, and support to, the Right at Home Jackaroos, BA is also acutely conscious of the importance of Bowls being on the Commonwealth Games stage to the nearly 1,800 local clubs, and their over 470,000 individual members and millions of annual visitors, around the nation.

"BA is hopeful of a justified inclusion of bowls in the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and will continue to do whatever possible and necessary behind the scenes, in support to World Bowls, to see that become a reality."

BA has been in regular contact with World Bowls, who are in direct discussions with the CGF.

As the CGA is no longer the host delegate, it has no say in which sports are included in the program.

Bowls is one of the six founding member sports of the Commonwealth Games with men's singles featured at every instalment bar one.

As it is not an Olympic sport and is currently not featured in the Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games is the only multi-sport competition to platform it.

Phillips explained that CGA would endeavour to look after the sports that miss out.

"Once we get a firm program, we will then work with our member sports in terms of how they stay part of our family because we want them to stay part of our family regardless of whether they are on the program or not, but also what that means from a funding perspective," he said.

The CGF will confirm the dates, venues and sports comprising the 2026 Games shortly.