QubicaAMF is pleased to announce that the 46^th Bowling World Cup will be held in Toulon, on the French Riviera, from 15 to 24 October 2010.  Michel Beltramone, Managing Director of the 44 lane Bowling de Provence, stepped in to host the World Cup after a change in ownership in Croatia prevented the tournament going ahead there as planned.  

Commenting on the change in venue, President and CEO of QubicaAMF, John Walker, said:  “It is very regrettable that the economic climate in Croatia and ownership changes at the host bowling center have made it necessary to move the 2010 Bowling World Cup from Zagreb. We had great support for the event from the Croatian Olympic Committee, the local Bowling Federation and other government agencies and I am confident that the World Cup will be held in Croatia in the near future. 

It is a wonderful country which is very rich in sporting history and will one day be a tremendous site for the Bowling World Cup. We are also very lucky to have an alternative like Toulon where Michel Beltramone has offered to host this great event and bring it to France for the third time.”

The Bowling de Provence centre is located at La Garde, a suburb of Toulon. It is part of one of Toulon’s major sports complexes, which also boasts an ice centre (skating, ice hockey and curling), billiards, a swimming pool, gymnasiums and fitness centres. 

The centre has been completely refurbished, inside and out, and will re-open in early September. It is a modern, state of the art facility, fully equipped with QubicaAMF equipment.  It has grown down the years, from 6 lanes at the beginning to become a 12, then 16, 20, 24, 28 and with 44 lanes, it is now the biggest bowling centre in France. 

Ron Wood, Vice President of QubicaAMF said: “I am certain that the event in Toulon will match the spectacular tournament when we were last in France in 1992, in Le Mans. Michel Beltramone and his team are looking forward to welcoming the bowling world to this historic city. I am also delighted that Hubert Falco, the mayor of Toulon and Minister in the French Government, is giving his personal backing and that of his administration to the event.”

The 1992 event saw Martina Beckel of Germany and Paeng Nepomuceno of the Philippines crowned champions. French bowlers have been ever present in the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup since the very first tournament in 1965.  But only one French player has ever lifted the trophy – Philippe Dubois in 1979, when the event was held in Thailand.

 Toulon lies on the western end of the Cote d’Azur on the Mediterranean, known around the world as the French Riviera. It was settled by the Romans when its claim to fame was production of the purple dye used for imperial robes. It developed into a harbour for trading ships, then a royal port and it is now the major French naval port on the Mediterranean. Its delightful historic centre is a mass of narrow streets, small squares and numerous fountains. It is twinned with six other cities, among them the naval ports of Norfolk, Virginia, USA and Kronstadt, Russia.