The development of lawn bowls for players with a disability has progressed significantly in recent years and success at international events and Commonwealth Games has seen the profile of the sport greater than ever before.
The para bowls programme has been delivered and lead by Scottish Disability Sport since the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester where Scotland took the gold medal in the para triples. There has been continuing success at World Championship level and a medal at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in the visually impaired pairs. Building on this and the achievements of the team prepared by Bowls Scotland, the programme will now be fully inclusive before and during the Birmingham 2022 Games.
It has been agreed that the responsibility for the B6/B7/B8 triples and B2/B3 pairs for the Birmingham 2022 Games will be fully included within the Bowls Scotland high performance programme.
Speaking about this exciting move, Alan McMillan, CEO of Bowls Scotland, said: “Both SDS and Bowls Scotland have integrated teams fully during the Commonwealth Games. However, we wanted to extend this integrated programme to the preparation phase leading up to the 2022 Games to further benefit all players and support staff. I am looking forward to seeing the outcomes of this integration in terms of continued successes on the green in 2022.”
Gavin Macleod, CEO of SDS, commented: “Scottish Disability Sport has worked closely with Bowls Scotland for many years to develop an inclusive environment for disabled bowlers. The profile of the high performance element has never been higher and with the full inclusion of para bowlers within the Bowls Scotland high performance programme, we look forward to continued success for Scotland’s para bowlers at Birmingham 2022.”