Bowling is not a new sport to Ethiopia. It is believed to have been introduced by the Italians, during their five year of occupation. However, the number of participants and the facilities for the sport is still limited in number.
Currently, it is limited to Bowlarama, Genet Hotel and another alley inside the Armed Forces Recreation Centre, locally known as Mekonenoch, around Tor Hayloch – all located in the capital. The former two were built for public use and the latter is for military personnel.
Embuay Mesk, which is believed to be one of the oldest bowling alleys in Ethiopia, is found at Riche, on Sierra Leone Street. It used to be the Headquarters of the Ethiopian Bowling Association (EBA) before its transfer to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MoYSC), 14 years ago, as reward for the sporting success of the Ethiopian Olympic team in Sydney. The compound was transferred to the Ethiopian Olympic Committee (EOC) for reconstruction four years ago. Since then, the bowling alley at Embuay Mesk has not been operational.
The bowling centre at Genet Hotel, which is located on Mozambique Street, near the African Union, is one of the two alternative bowling alleys for civilians who wish to play in Ethiopia. It was constructed and opened during the regime of Emperor Haileselassie I, in 1968.
The bowling alley contains four automatic and two analogue lanes. All of the equipment, painted an orange colour, was brought from the American bowling equipment manufacturer, Brunswick. In addition, there is an automatic ball polisher and two separate seats for referees.
Genet Hotel provides shoe rental for 3.10 Br, while a game costs 15.75 Br a person. But the one time hub of excitement is now neglected by many, with the automatic ball polisher no longer working and rainwater flooding the backside of the machine.
“Back in the days, the place used to be the centre of recreation for bowling enthusiasts,” says Getachew Geberemesekel, 65, who worked as a technician at the Hotel for 30 years. “Even popular figures, including ministers and diplomats, used to regularly visit the place.”
The rules are simple and everyone can come and play the game, said Getachew, with sorrow on his face, showing he dearly misses the good old days.
“But now, especially after the Bowlarama Bowling Centre opened four years ago, not even a single person shows up for three or four consecutive days,” Getachew added.
The newest bowling alleys, Bowlarama, located inside Lafto Mall, next to Gabriel Church on South Africa Street, is a modern bowling centre compared to others. The Mall, in addition to the bowling centre, has billiards, darts and a swimming pool.
The Centre has 12 automated bowling lanes, each are the standard 18m in length. The pinsetter machine places the pins at their original place after every throw.
Bowlarama provides free socks, shoe rental is 4.5 Br, value-added tax (VAT) excluded, and a game costs 29 Br a person.
Getachew Seyum, technical manager and bowling trainer, is in charge of operating the machines. He has worked at the centre since it is opened.
The centre acquired all its accessories from the same single supplier, Brunswick, according to Getachew.
These include the machine that counts the knocked over pins, sets the pins afresh and returns the ball from the far end back to the bowler. The machines also record all the goings-on on the electronic score sheets, displayed on a screen by the players’ seat and on a flat screen TV above their heads.
At the time Fortune arrived at the bowling centre, there were only two people – Getachew and his assistant – standing at the corner of the alley trying to fix one of the electronic score sheets; no one was playing.
Among the 12 automated lanes, two were not working, and the beautiful furniture, meant for players to rest during the game and for others waiting for their turn, were empty.
The youngsters who frequently visit the Mall are more interested in spending their time playing billiards or swimming, according to Getachew.
“Even at the weekend, the busiest time for the centre, the majority of people who show up are foreigners,” says Getachew.
While the game is popular among certain people, everyone can play together, irrespective of age and gender, and the gear required for different shapes and sizes are supplied. The balls are all more-or-less the same size, with the most obvious difference being the size of the finger holes and its weight.
Balls are varying in weight from five pounds to 17 pounds and the finger holes are three in number, but their diameters vary.
Getachew complains that the EBA is not organised well to promote the sport to the general public and most of all the young generation.
Solomon Meaza, former secretary of the EBA, who has served the association for two years. told Fortune that since the closure of the Embuay Mesk bowling centre, the association does not have its own bowling facilities, and this creates a problem in promoting the sport to wider audiences.
The EBA has been the body assigned by the Sport Commission to govern the sport of bowling in the country since the 1990s. A committee of seven members elected for a four year term by the General Assembly run the association, according to the statement on the EBA’s website.
The lack of facilities is raised as a hindrance that stops the sport from gaining wider popularity, says Yetna Teferi, who was a member of the EBA. Yetna and three others, who want to remain anonymous, accuse the EOC of for taking their place.
But the Executive Director of the EOC, Tamirat Bekele, counters this.
“The EOC was given the mandate to administer Embuay Mesk by the MoYSC and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Sport Commission (FSC) to develop the place, four years ago,” he says.
The EOC has already finished the design work of the Embuay Mesk recreation centre, according to Tamrat. The place will be transformed into an all in one recreational centre and bowling will be included, according to the preliminary design.
The design was done by the Construction Design S.C. The construction tender is soon to be floated, in September 2014, for all eligible bidders, according to Tamrat.
In addition to Embuay Mesk’s plan, Edna Mall, located in front of the Bole Medhanealem Cathedral, also plans to open bowling lanes in its gaming centre.
Regardless of these ongoing plans, though, bowling remains a sport practiced by only a few, further limited by the paucity of playing centres.
Leave a Reply