The International Bowling Federation World Championships 2025 begins tomorrow in Hong Kong, with 300 athletes from 31 countries.
But while the focus is shifting to the lanes, another event took place yesterday - one that may shape how the sport is governed for years to come.
The IBF General Meeting, the supreme organ of the IBF, was held in Hong Kong on the eve of the championship, bringing together delegates from around the world to vote on key governance matters.
What unfolded in that meeting raised serious questions about transparency, representation, and the decision-making structure within the sport’s highest international body.
Helena Sundqvist, President of the Swedish Bowling Federation, openly questioned whether the current system can truly be called democratic.
BowlingLife’s Erikas Jansonas spoke with Helena Sundqvist shortly after her Facebook post to gain deeper insight into what took place during the meeting.
“I quickly realized the presidium would win every vote”
This was Helena Sundqvist’s first IBF General Meeting as President of the Swedish Bowling Federation, having been elected to the role in October 2024. What she encountered during the meeting left her both surprised and concerned.
“I have been the president for the Swedish Bowling Federation for a year now,
and this was my first IBF General Meeting. When they went through the proxies
I quickly realized the presidium would win every vote. That surprised me. In
Sweden, that would never be allowed," Sundqvist said. "I talked to some other
federations both before and after the meeting. We had questions about finances
and missing funds, as well as moving IBF’s headquarters from Lausanne but
there is no point in raising one single question because a vote would give the
presidium a majority.”
Power Behind IBF’s Proxy Voting System
Under
current IBF rules, there is no limit to the number of proxies a single delegation can hold. In
practice, this means that a small group can get enough votes in advance to
guarantee control of every decision - regardless of discussion or debate
during the meeting itself.
The IBF currently has 111 member federations, yet only 31 participate in the World Championships in Hong Kong. Many countries skip the event due to limited budgets, non-competitive teams, long travel distances, or the frequency of major tournaments.
Since General Meetings are held during these major events and online voting isn’t allowed, those seeking to pass proposals often rely on collecting proxies from federations that don’t attend in person.
The President of the General Meeting, Vice Presidents, and Committee members don’t have voting rights. However, under IBF Statutes section 5.2, they can still vote if they act as a proxy or delegate for a voting Member federation.
As a result, some delegates attend meetings holding multiple proxies, which undermines the democratic voting process.
A Reform Stopped by the Very System It Tried to Change
Concerns about IBF governance and proxy voting have been raised long before this year’s meeting in Hong Kong.
In 2023, a multinational working group representing seven federations - Canada, Costa Rica, England, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and the United States - proposed a package of amendments aimed at improving transparency and limiting concentrated power within IBF.
One of the key suggestions was to eliminate proxy voting altogether, replacing it with clearer, fairer voting procedures.
The package also included reforms such as term limits, stronger financial oversight, public financial reporting, and the creation of independent committees.
But despite broad support before the meeting, the proposal blew - largely because the same unlimited-proxy system it sought to change made it nearly impossible to pass.
“At the last General Meeting in Kuwait 2023 the question about proxies was raised by Canada, United States, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Great Britain and Costa Rica as a part of a package that proposed many amendments to the IBF Articles. The ‘package’ was voted down 72-33,” Sundqvist said.
Key Topics Received Almost no Discussion
The General Meeting agenda included several important items, including questions regarding finances and missing funds and moving the IBF headquarters from Lausanne. According to the president of the Swedish Bowling Federation, none of these topics were meaningfully debated.
“There were really no discussions on any of the questions. I don’t know if the
rest of the delegates had calculated the same thing as me. It really felt like
no idea. The decision was made and it is now possible to move the headquarters
from Lausanne whenever the presidium wants to.”
Nine-pin Bowling Included, Urethane Topic Remains Untouched
One agenda item that did receive a clear outcome was the inclusion of nine-pin bowling under the IBF structure.
Helena Sundqvist confirmed that during the IBF General Meeting, the admission of the World Ninepin Bowling Association into the IBF was officially finalized.
That was something IBF was seeking for a while now. Back in May, 2025, IBF representatives participated in the regular WNBA conference in Hungary and expressed confidence that the prenegotiated admission of the WNBA into the IBF will be formally approved at the IBF Conference in the fall of 2025.
However, a topic many bowlers expected to be addressed - urethane bowling balls - was not brought up at all.
“The question was not raised at the meeting. To be honest, I do not think it is a big question for them,” Sundqvist said.
Membership Dues Might Increase by 50%
According to Swedish Bowling Federation president, one of the most surprising moments came when the chairman announced a major financial update.
“No budget was presented, instead we were informed by the Chairman of the Meeting, Martin Faba, that there will be a 50 % increase in membership dues
since the IBF is in economic crisis. That is also an interesting question
since the membership fee is based on how many bowlers and lanes a federation
has. Maybe the next step is to start weighing the votes according to
membership size?” Sundqvist asked rhetorically.
BowlingLife has contacted the International Bowling Federation for comment
regarding the issues raised at the General Meeting. As of publication, no
response has been received. This remains a developing story, and BowlingLife
will update readers as soon as IBF provides an official statement.
