The 40th anniversary edition of the Bowling World Cup is to be staged at a 34-lane center currently under construction. The SuperBowl Telok Blangah, located at No. 2 Telok Blangah Way, is being built in the heart of a southern residential district. It will sit directly across the road from the Alkaff Mansion, one of Singapore's fine dining establishments that recalls its colonial heritage. Other nearby attractions are Mount Faber Hill, overlooking the republic's southern coast; Singapore's World Trade Centre; and Sentosa Island, a popular resort destination.

"We are excited to bring the AMF World Cup back to Singapore for the first time since 1973," said tournament manager Anne-Marie Board. "The sport of bowling has a rich history in this country, with an avid and knowledgeable fan base. We know those fans are going to give their full support not only to the home country favorites, but also to each and every bowler who competes next year."

"We look forward to working with SuperBowl Holdings Limited, owner of the SuperBowl chain, the Singapore Tenpin Bowling Congress, ABS Bowling Pte Ltd, and the local organizing committee to make this one of the most memorable World Cups ever."

The 1973 AMF Bowling World Cup attracted bowlers from 34 countries to Jackie's Bowl and was won by Bernie Caterer of Great Britain and Kesinee Srivises of Thailand. Since then, the number of countries represented annually in the World Cup has more than doubled, with a record 88 nations sending athletes in 2000 to Lisbon, Portugal.

Singapore bowlers have competed in the World Cup since 1969, when S.P Loh finished in fifth place in the men's division. The best performance in recent years came from Remy Ong in 2002. Ong, a triple gold medallist in the Asian Games that year, finished second to Mika Luoto of Finland in the men's division in Riga, Latvia.

Bowlers from 77 nations competed in the 2003 AMF Bowling World Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, this past fall. Men's champion C.J. Suarez of the Philippines and women's champ Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada must win their national qualifying events again in 2004 to earn the right to defend their titles in Singapore.

The AMF Bowling World Cup is the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating nations. AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operator of bowling centers. AMF is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products.

Note: Digital photographs of Singapore in JPEG format can be obtained by contacting Lydia Rypcinski via e-mail at l.rypcinski@att.net. Kindly credit any photos reproduced to the Singapore Tourism Board.