HONG KONG, August 19, 2020 – The Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association announced today the cancellation of the Hong Kong International Bowls Classic 2020, which was originally scheduled for November this year.
This is the second cancellation in a row for the premium international lawn bowls event. Last year the event was called off due to the social activities around Hong Kong. This year the intensifying pandemic situation in both Hong Kong and around the globe is a key factor for the decision, and top-class players may not be able to travel to Hong Kong to compete.
Vincent Cheung, President of the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association, said, “The health and safety of our players, staff and the general public is our top priority so we are not hesitated to make the cancellation decision. We look forward to an even better event next year.”
The escalation in severity of the COVID-19 has put all lawn bowls activities in Hong Kong to a standstill as all public greens was closed. All competitions and training course were either cancelled or put on hold. The 2020 Premier League, which was scheduled to commence last Saturday, August 15, was also suspended until further notice.
First organised in 1981, the Hong Kong International Bowls Classic is recognised as one of the best outdoor bowls tournaments in the world. Over the years, famous bowlers from all leading bowling countries have participated in the event. Hong Kong has won the Pairs title on five occasions and the Hong Kong Team won it in 2007. In the Singles, Hong Kong players George Souza Jnr, Noel Kennedy and Jordi Lo won their titles in 1984, 1994 and 2015 respectively. For women, Hong Kong Youth Team Amy Choi and Vivian won Pairs and Local Player Dorothy Yu and Vivian Yip won Singles in 2015 and 2017 respectively.
For updated news on lawn bowls in Hong Kong, please visit the HKLBA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hklba.org.
2020 Umpire Training Course is open for entry.
