‘This Is Hard To Stomach’: Malta Bowling Association Speaks Out On Eden’s Temporary Closure News
The Malta Bowling Association has spoken out against the closure of the Eden Bowling Centre which has left avid bowlers without a place to train for at least five to six months.
“The government’s inaction over the many years has brought us to this very point where our youth, adult, and senior bowlers are unable to train or play the game sport they love for a minimum period of five to six months according to news that reached the association yesterday,” they wrote in an official statement.
The Eden Bowling Centre is scheduled to close on 8th January 2024 following a decision made by the Board last week due to structural works being planned in early 2024 and to mitigate any potential security risks.
“This sudden news has shaken the foundations of the bowling community and the general public at large. Many have been left disappointed, to say the least, and perplexed as to why the government has procrastinated for such a long time and never offered an alternative to the Eden Bowling Centre. Surely the authorities did not need to wait till now before action was taken.”
“The Eden Bowling Centre is a commercial centre that undoubtedly looks at profit as its prime objective which stands to reason. It is also great that new investments are made to enhance the attractiveness of the sport in the near future.”
“Having said that, the communication from Eden came in pretty late in the day and gave the association no room to negotiate at all, especially since we were continuously reassured that the centre would stay open till a week or two before the new one would open upstairs.”
“Given the news, the local bowling community is mostly irked by the fact that the National Bowling Leagues as well as qualifying tournaments for major International Championships are now brought to a complete halt as there is no other bowling centre where they can be played.”
“This massive disruption to the Malta Bowling Calendar will have huge negative repercussions for the simple reason that current active bowlers could possibly abandon the sport altogether following a lengthy cool-off period or worse still run the risk that teams might pull out from the National Leagues. The National Sports School bowlers were also left hanging for months with this decision.”
In addition, the association’s elite bowlers, who included recent European Champions, World, European, and Mediterranean medal winners at all levels of the sport, are not able to train and represent the country to the best of their ability given the current restrictions.
“What kind of preparation can they undergo without the necessary facilities being made available? Our eight best under-18 bowlers are scheduled to go to the European Youth at the end of March. What kind of preparation can they do now?” the association asked.
And these aren’t just pro bowlers being affected, “Special Olympic bowlers, hobby bowlers, elite bowlers as well as potential new bowlers that were about to join the National Leagues” are also suffering due to this decision.
“Our elite bowlers have always punched above their weight and brought success to Malta. The association has put forward several proposals both in the past and present, requesting appropriate training facilities where the bowling community no longer needs to depend on a private entity to plan its activities.”
“It is imperative to note that bowling is a sport which is gaining popularity and this augurs well for the future of the sport. Malta is investing heavily to ensure that we excel in all disciplines but bowling has been left on the back burner despite the phenomenal success it brings.
“For how much longer can Malta keep burying its head in the sand and finally acknowledge that the time to act is now? I urge you to listen to our plea and postpone this project no more. If ever there was a time, this is it.”
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