The International Bowling Federation (IBF) has officially announced an interim
policy regarding the use of urethane bowling balls in IBF competitions.
The decision follows the recent developments from the United
States Bowling Congress (USBC) and comes shortly before two major
international events on the IBF calendar - the 2025 IBF World Senior
Championships taking place from October 13 to 23 in Reno, Nevada, and the 2025
IBF World Championships set for November 24 to December 5 in Hong Kong.
According to the IBF statement, the IBF Technical Committee has completed a
preliminary review and introduced an immediate measure that will remain in
place until further notice.
Under this policy, all bowling balls
manufactured on or after January 1, 1991, and listed on the official USBC
Approved Ball List at the start of the tournament, are permitted for use in
IBF competitions.
Bowling balls produced before 1991 or not included on the
USBC Approved Ball List
are now prohibited in all IBF-sanctioned tournaments. The official list is
available on the USBC website and will be accessible at all IBF events to
verify eligibility.
This means that many of the most popular
urethane bowling balls, such as the
Hammer Purple Pearl Urethane
and
Storm IQ Tour 78/U, remain approved for use in IBF competitions.
The IBF emphasized that this step ensures fairness, clarity, and consistency across global competitions while maintaining alignment with USBC standards.
The Technical Committee will continue its assessment and issue further updates when the review process concludes.
This ruling was released after the USBC finalized its own policy changes
regarding urethane bowling balls.
Beginning January 1, 2026, USBC will implement stricter limits for these balls in national tournaments, including full bans in events such as the U.S. Open and Masters. Other tournaments will only allow models that meet a minimum hardness of 78D.
The USBC explained that the changes aim to maintain fairness, protect lane conditions, and support player development.
