Commonwealth Games gold is what you strive for: Clarke & Krizanic
Last week it was announced that the number of core sports at future Commonwealth Games will be reduced to just two from 15 following next year’s edition in Birmingham.
Those will be swimming and athletics, with each new host city granted the ability to choose the makeup of their respective programs, thus leaving bowls as an optional discipline.
Speaking on Bowls Australia’s ‘The Right Line’ podcast, Jackaroos duo and Commonwealth gold medalists Lynsey Clarke and Carla Krizanic admit that they were puzzled when reading the headline initially, as but are hopeful that most cities will choose bowls to remain on the schedule.
“My first reaction was, ‘Is this for real?'” Clarke said.
“They were talking about the rich history of athletics and swimming but bowls has been there from the start and has always been our pinnacle.
“As we’re not an Olympic sport the Commonwealth Games is our number one and as soon as you start a game and gain that competitive spirit, what you strive for is a gold medal at a Comm Games.
“So the fact that potentially bowls might not be a Commonwealth Games sport, depending on a host country’s decisions, I was a bit hollow and a bit devastated thinking about it.
“I’m coming to the end of my career but for the young ones that I coach potentially not having the opportunity to play in the Commonwealth Games can have a devastating impact.”
Bowls has been on the program since the inaugural event in 1930, then under the British Empire Games moniker, which was held in Hamilton, Canada.
In fact, the sport has only missed a solitary Commonwealth Games with the only omission coming in 1966 at the Kingston event, with the ability to produce a bowling green very limited in Jamaica at the time.
Krizanic echoed Clarke’s sentiments, and is willing to promote the sport even more to ensure its status on the program.
“I think as bowlers we know that our sport should definitely be in the Commonwealth Games,” she said.
“I guess it’s just about getting our sport out there more and more, particularly to the countries that don’t play a lot of bowls, so that if they do become a host, they will want to involve bowls.
“When I read it first I was the same as Lynsey, I was a bit sad and it was a Facebook post so I thought it might not be true but it turns out that it’s not fake news unfortunately.
“Our sport is great and we have a lot to offer, I don’t think we’ve got anything to worry about but the more we can get bowls out to everyone the better.”
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