World Bowls Tour reverses decision to bar Israeli team from competition in UK tourney

The World Bowls Tour has reversed its decision barring the Israeli national team from participating in the Bowls World Championships in England next month, Channel 12 reveals.

In a letter to the team published by the network, WBT apologizes for the earlier decision.

“We would firstly wish to extend our sincere apologies to both you and to PBA Israel, for any upset or offense that we have caused by the withdrawal of the invitation to the three members of PBA Israel in advance of the January 2025 championships. This was absolutely not our intention. However, as we made clear, we had found ourselves in a very difficult position in relation to the security of the venue and to the competitors and other attendees,” WBT says.

“However, over the past 48 hours, we have been exploring practical ways in which our concerns could be overcome, so as to enable the invitation to PBA Israel to be reinstated. We are pleased to say that following discussions with various partner agencies, we have been able to confirm today an increase in the security presence at the event. The WBT Board is accordingly satisfied that this increased level of security which will be in place is sufficient to be able to welcome the PBA Israel Team to the event starting on 10 January 2025,” the letter continues.

“The sole consideration behind this [initial] difficult decision had been the safety and security of all participants, staff and attendees involved in the tournament. Following significant feedback and credible concerns regarding the potential risks posed to,” the WBT chief claims.

“We fully understand how upsetting our earlier decision would have been to the competitors from Israel, which is why we have sought to try and find a solution that would enable the invitation to be reinstated.”

The Norfolk Palestine Solidarity Campaign had said the earlier move to bar the Israeli team from participating was the result of joint action with Scottish Sports for Palestine and Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card.