The European Bowling Federation has issued an official statement regarding the recent urethane bowling ball regulation announced by the International Bowling Federation.
The statement also addresses how the decision will affect EBF competitions and clarifies the eligibility of russian and belarusian youth athletes in EBF organized tournaments.
Regarding athlete eligibility, the EBF confirmed that it will follow the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee and the IBF concerning youth athletes holding russian or belarusian passports.
These athletes will be allowed to compete in EBF and IBF youth events, provided their national federation is in good standing and all standard IBF protocols and regulations are followed.
The decision not to allow any russian or belarusian athletes to participate in EBF events was made in 2022. The brutal war caused by russia has resulted in significant loss of life.
According to official data, more than 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed on the battlefield. Other Ukrainian sources, cross-referenced by the BBC, suggest the number could be as high as 200,000.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reports that 15,168 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 41,534 wounded during four years of full-scale war, including 3,018 child casualties.
The war is considered Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II.
In 2022, Russian Bowling Federation president Sergey Lisitsyn took part in a pro-war rally in Moscow on March 18, where he openly supported Putin and the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine. During that rally, he made statements justifying Russia’s actions and accusing the West of spreading Russophobia.
"We see that the special operation being carried out today on Ukrainian soil allows us to achieve our goals with minimal losses for our fraternal peoples," Lisitsyn said, per Inside the Games "Given the unprecedented external pressure from the West, which for eight years condoned the flourishing of Nazism in Ukraine, today we clearly understand that the special operation was just an excuse to replicate Russophobic sentiments and escalate the situation around Russia and everything Russian."
Urethane Use
The EBF has issued an official statement regarding the recent urethane bowling ball regulation announced by the International Bowling Federation. The EBF has also confirmed that it will apply the same urethane bowling ball regulation announced by the International Bowling Federation. The new urethane ball hardness requirement will come into effect for EBF European Championships starting from 6 April 2026, after the European Youth Championships 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
According to the EBF, it will also conduct random hardness checks during its
European Championships. Any ball found below the permitted hardness level will
be declared non compliant and removed from competition.
The
official USBC list of non eligible bowling balls is available
here
No Change on EBT
The EBF also clarified that no changes will apply to the ongoing EBT Tour for 2026. All current events will continue under the existing equipment rules. Athletes competing in the 2026 tour do not need to make immediate changes to their bowling balls.
