KUALA LUMPUR: Lawn bowls, long dominated by Malaysia at the SEA Games level, has been excluded from next year’s edition in Thailand.
Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said the decision was made during the SEA Games Federation Council Meeting in Thailand on Oct 25.
He expressed disappointment over the decision, noting that Thailand has good facilities, having hosted the Asian Lawn Bowls Championship in Pattaya in March.
“We made every effort to ensure lawn bowls would be included in the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, and it even received support from several other countries.
“However, when the matter was presented at the meeting on Oct 25, Thailand stated their decision not to host the event. So, there isn’t much we can do because they are the host country,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday.
Previously, the Olympic Council of Malaysia had expressed its intention to appeal for the inclusion of lawn bowls in the SEA Games in Thailand after it was not initially listed.
Lawn bowls was last featured at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, where Malaysia won four gold and two bronze medals out of the six events contested. – BERNAMA