JOIN USThe Tenpin Bowling Federation (India) will mark an important chapter in its history on Tuesday. It will be celebrating the silver jubilee edition of the national championships when the competition kicks off at the Blu-O, Orion Mall, here.
“We are really proud of our achievement,” said its president Karti P Chidambaram at a press conference on Monday to announce the event. “Although the association took shape 30 years ago, this will be the 25th National Championships.”
Karti stressed that primary focus over the next six months would be the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, next August. “That is our main goal. Winning a medal at the Asiad would be a major accomplishment. Our men’s team is shaping up really well and they definitely are one of the contenders.”
Meanwhile, 92 men and 22 women will compete in the Nationals that will conclude with the finals on December 15. In the men’s category there will be three rounds of play in both the long and short oil formats, totalling 32 games. Players will be eliminated based on cumulative pinfall with the top four advancing to the knock-out round that will be contested in the stepladder format.
The overall prize money has received a big boost, up from Rs 4.5 lakhs to Rs 7 lakhs.
Defending champion Dhruv Sarda of Delhi, two-time champion Shabbir Dhankot, 2003 winner Shaikh Abdul Hameed, three-time winner Harshavardhan Sarda and two-time champ Vijay Punjabi are the ones to watch out for in the men’s battle.