The Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ) is the World Bowling Federation. The FIQ is subdivided into two disciplines, the World Ninepin Bowling Association (WNBA) and the World Tenpin Association (WTBA). Both organizations were founded by the FIQ in 1973 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The WNBA counts approximately 250.000 members in 26 countries on three continents (Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, America

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

 and Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

).
The Austrian Ludwig Kocsis was elected in 2007 as the President of the WNBA. He is the only Austrian, who leads an international sports federation at the time, he comes from Lackenbach

Lackenbach

Lackenbach is an Austrian municipality in the District of Oberpullendorf, Burgenland.- Geography :Lackenbach lies in the Oberpullendorf District, the Middle Burgenland and is not divided into any districts.- History :...

 in Mittelburgenland

Burgenland

Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...

.

History

Because of different types of skittle alleys, the WNBA has three sections:

• Bohle (NBB)
• Classic (NBC)
• Schere (NBS)

The Classic section is the most popular of all sections.

The section of the WNBA organises World and Continental Championships for all age groups as well as for World and Continental Single and Team Competitions. Furthermore International Matches and International Competition Events regularly take place.

Over the course of the centuries Ninepin Bowling has developed to an accepted high-performance sport which highly requires technical skills and body condition. Pure playful element still attracts recreational sports people on skittle alleys.

Approximately 50 years ago, the pin

Bowling pin

Bowling pins are the target of the bowling ball in various bowling games including tenpins, five-pins, duckpins, and candlepins. In the US, pin specifications for standard tenpins are set by the United States Bowling Congress. Pins are 4.75 inches wide at their widest point and tall...

 was set up by hand. Today microprocessor

Microprocessor

A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...

s steer high modern automatic machine which set up pins as well as display screens for results. Instead of wood-pin and wood-balls, plastic ones are made today. Bohle and Schere lanes require wood or plastic running surface. Classic ones have exclusively plastic running surfaces implemented by using plastic-coating or building material in form of segment-plates.

Skittle alleys suited for the ninepin bowling sport have to be built according to WNBA technical standards. Moreover they must undergo scrutiny of responsible sections or national associations of ninepin bowling sport. Therewith is provided that athletic competitions worldwide take place under same unitary conditions. Before use of automatic machine which set up pins, running surfaces, pins and balls internationally, it is necessary that they pass test procedure. This procedure should provide the accreditation of WNBA that is for all national associations of ninepin bowling sport obliged.

Position within the FIQ

The WNBA holds the position of a disciplinary association and is thus an independent organ within the FIQ. For all responsible in the WNBA is one of the most important goals to disseminate ninepin bowling all over the world and to win further nations as WNBA’s members.

Objectives and Tasks

It is the objective and the task of the WNBA to

• oversee all national bowling sport associations that practise the bowling sport ninepin or, in some other form, as a competitive sport in its widest sense.
• establish contact with national associations that practise bowling sport in its widest sense in order to win them as new regular members of the FIQ and WNBA or as non-regular members of the WNBA.
• promote the bowling sport ninepin throughout the world by fostering international championships, competitions between teams as well as individuals and international matches between member associations as well as other sport encounters on all levels.
• organize international competitions and oblige the sections of the WNBA to conduct international competitions.
• ensure common standards in the practice of the sport and the regulations concerning the referees within the WNBA by publishing sets of regulations of the WNBA and its sections and make a standardized game system possible in sports events of the WNBA and its sections as well as in member associations. The sport itself will be regulated by the sections.
• guarantee common standards in the technical specifications for devices used in bowling and for bowling alleys as required by the practice of this sport as well as in licensing regulations within the WNBA and in all member associations of the WNBA and its sections by publishing technical specifications. This is to ensure equal conditions whenever sport events are organized within the WNBA and its sections as well as within member associations.
• guarantee the observance of regulations and provisions of the WNBA and its sections as well as the observance of decisions of the FIQ by all sections of the WNBA.
• give advice and information to all members of the FIQ in matters concerning the ninepin bowling sport.

WNBA members

Country	Name	Classic	Bohle	Schere
	Fédéracion Argentina de Bolos			X
	Österreichischer Sportkegel- und Bowlingverband	X
	Königlicher Belgischer Keglerverband			X
	Kuglacki Savez Bosne i Hercegovina	X
	Confederacao Brasileira de Bocha e Bolao			X
	Hrvatski Kuglacki Savez	X
Catalonia	Fédéració Catalana de Bitlles i Bowling	X
	Ceska Kuzelkarska Asociace	X
	Dansk Kegle Forbund	X	X
	Estonian Bowling Association	X
	Fédération Francaise de Bowling et de Sport de Quilles	X	X	X
	Deutscher Kegler- und Bowlingbund	X	X	X
	Magyar Bowling es Teke Szövetseg	X
	Italienischer Sportkeglerverband	X		X
	Fédération Luxembourgeoise des Joueurs de Quilles			X
	Kuglarska Federacija na Makedonija	X
	Kuglaski Savez Crne Gore	X
	Nederlandse Kegel Federatie			X
	Polski Zwiazek Kreglarski		X
	Federatia Romana de Popice Bowling	X
	Kegljaška Zveza Slovenije	X
	Kuglaski Savez Srbije	X
	Schweizerischer Sportkegler-Verband	X
	Slovenský Kolkársky Zväz	X
	Asfalkägelsektionen SV Bowlingförbundet	X
Republic of China	Ninepin Bowling Sports Association			X

Presidency

President
Ludwig Kocsis
Vice-Presidents
René Petry
Veronika David
Section-Presidents
Bohle	vacant
Classic	Siegfried Schweikardt
Schere	Dieter Kuke

External links

• Internet site of the WNBA (in German)