52nd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup officially declared open

15 October, 2016

World Cup

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A colorful opening ceremonies featuring scenes based around aspects of Chinese history and arts helped usher in the 52nd edition of the prestigious QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup Saturday afternoon in the ballroom of the Jin Jiang Hua Ting Hotel & Towers in Shanghai, China.

The two-hour show kicked off with tournament director Bernard Gibbons, supported by an amazing young lady from China who emceed the show (pictured right), welcoming the male and female athletes from 83 countries, who will participate in the second World Cup in mainland China after Beijing 1991.

For the records, prior to the 2014 Olympics the record for participating National Olympic Committees at Olympic Winter Games was 82. In the tradition of the Olympic Games, the players’ oath was taken by an athlete from the host nation, China’s Zhang Yuhong

The march-in was followed by a traditional Chinese drum show (left) played by male and female drummers dressed in costumes telling an ancient Chinese legendary story. With a majestic sound that could be heard from afar, war drums became critical for galvanizing an army’s morale.

Next was a one-man show featuring the art of Chinese face mask changing (right). Biàn Liǎn more commonly known as face changing is a 300 year old tradition set within Chinese Sichuan opera that began during the reign of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795).

Before the welcome reception dinner, Juan Cabezas, President and Chief Growth Officer QubicaAMF Worldwide, and Wu Qi, President (right, l-r) of the Chinese Bowling Association, declared the 52nd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup officially open and sealed it with a common drum beat.

During and after the dinner featuring traditional and modern Chinese cuisine the dignitaries, officials bowlers, coaches, and guests were entertained by a talented singer, a group of marcial artists and a magician whose show was highlighted by an unplanned guest appearance of World Cup organizer Anne-Marie Board (left).

Men and women will be split into two squads and take to the lanes at Hao’s Bowling in Shanghai’s Xuhui district on Sunday for the official practice from 8 a.m. through 7 p.m. China Standard Time (CST). Real action starts on Monday morning at 8 a.m. with the first of four five-game qualifying blocks.

Bowlingdigital.com will provide onsite coverage of the 52nd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup from Shanghai including reports, photos and results after each round. The United States Bowling Congress will provide live streaming on BowlTV.

All competitors at the 2016 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup will bowl 20 qualifying games over four days before the field is cut to the top 24 for eight additional games. The 28-game pinfall totals will determine the 8 players who advance to eight games round-robin match-play (30 pins for each win, 15 for a tie).

In a change to last year, the top 4 players with highest 36-game total including bonus pins will advance to the stepladder finals.

The finals will be staged on a specially constructed two-lane arena in the Luwan Sports Complex which is also where Hao’s Bowling is located. This will be covered by live streaming on BowlTV and local Chinese live streaming through Ali Sports.

There will be a one-game knockout match with 1st placed player versus 4th placed player, and 2nd placed player versus 3rd placed player. The winners of each semi-final match will go forward to play the title match.

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Herbert Bickel