RIYADH, 17 June 2007 — Families in the capital now have a new venue to spend their leisure time — where they can enjoy both privacy and recreation all in one.
Located adjacent to the Prince Faisal Olympic Complex, the newly inaugurated Universal Bowling Center has bowling alleys, pool tables, snooker tables, a coffee shop, a restaurant, an electronic games center, a cinema area for children and a VIP lounge.
Prince Abdul Hakeem ibn Musaed Al-Saud, head of the Universal Bowling Center and head of the organizing committee of the 1st Kingdom International Open Bowling Tournament, said the aim of establishing such a center was to meet the needs of families in the capital.
“It provides the Saudi family with a proper environment in a relaxing atmosphere,” he said. “If I wanted to take my kid to one of those (other) bowling places I would fear for him. Those places were not built with the family in mind.”
The UBC provides 12 lanes for families only. Eighteen other lanes are for single men.
Another aspect that is considered a plus for families is the professional security and availability of caretakers.
“Parents can leave their children here and go with a relaxed frame of mind. We will take care of them,” he said.
The prince said that UBC provided a proper venue for Saudi women to practice sports, which would have a positive effect on their health and welfare. He mentioned that among the priorities of the center was preparing future female bowlers.
“We have hired a world champion bowler from Colombia to train women. We intend to spread the sport of bowling among men, women, and children.”
He said that it was possible that future tournaments exclusively for women could be arranged once the sport gained momentum in the capital.
The total budget for construction of the UBC was SR20 million, according to Prince Abdul Hakeem. In addition to the recreational facilities, three large television screens are provided for businessmen to follow the Saudi bourse or live televised sports events.
The prince said there was much need for the sport to be spread in the Kingdom. He also said there were many talented Saudi bowlers but their numbers were small compared to the Kingdom’s overall population.
The prince mentioned that UBC was ready to host any regional or international event, including local tournaments organized by foreign communities in the Kingdom.
“Even the family areas have been arranged to accommodate foreigners and their families,” he commented.
Commenting on the 1st Kingdom International Open Bowling Tournament, Prince Abdul Hakeem said there were many difficulties to organize the event due to the lack of support from the Saudi Bowling Association.
“I will say it with all openness: I wish we would have received the support we needed from the association. But we didn’t,” he said. “The support is less than what we expected. Most of the support was on an individual basis. The tournament is open to anyone, young or old.”
The tournament distributes daily prizes. The winner of the first place gets $25,000. The second place winner gets $12,000. Total cash prizes worth $85,000 will be distributed among 32 players.
Several players from the GCC, Egypt, the United States, the UK, Australia, China, Thailand, and Colombia are participating in the open tournament.
Saudi Arabia is only represented by 90 bowlers in the open tournament, a matter, which calls for more efforts to spread the sport in the Kingdom, he said.
