The long wait is finally over. The 2026 IBF World Youth Bowling Championships will kick off tomorrow and run until July 7 in Kuching, bringing together the world’s best U21 bowlers for one of the biggest youth events.
Players from 34 federations will bowl at Megalanes EMart Batu Kawah, a 40-lane center with AMF synthetic lanes.
As usual, the championship will include singles, doubles, four-player team and mixed team events.
In singles, players will begin with six games of qualifying. The top 16 will advance to match play, where they will be split into two groups of eight. Each player will bowl seven one-game matches inside the group, with three points awarded for a win and one point for a tie.
The top two players from each group will move into the semifinals. From there, the matches will be played in a best-of-three format, including the final.
At the last World Youth Championships in 2024, Arianne Tay of Singapore won the women’s singles gold, while Germany’s Paul Purps won the men’s singles title.
The doubles event will use the Baker format, where players share one score by taking turns in the same game. All pairs will bowl 10 Baker sets in qualifying, and the top 16 will move into match play.
Just like in singles, the 16 teams will be divided into two groups of eight. Each team will bowl seven matches, with three points for a win and one point for a tie. The top two teams from each group will reach the semifinals, with both the semifinals and final played as best-of-three sets.
The four-player team event will follow a similar structure. Teams will start with 10 Baker games in qualifying, and the top 16 will advance to match play. The teams will then be split into two groups, with the top two from each group moving into the medal rounds.
The semifinals and final will again be played in a best-of-three format.
At the 2024 championship, the Czech Republic won the men’s team gold after defeating the United States in the final. Malaysia won the women’s team gold after beating Singapore.
The mixed team event will feature two girls and two boys on each team. Each nation may enter two mixed teams. The format will again begin with 10 Baker games in qualifying, followed by match play for the top 16 teams.
The top two teams from each match-play group will reach the semifinals, and the medals will be decided through best-of-three matches.
In 2024, Korea won the mixed team gold after defeating Sweden in a three-game final.
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