Link to Media Release
Team Singapore para bowlers delivered an impressive performance at the International Bowling Federation (IBF) Para Bowling World Championships 2025, clinching 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. The competition took place in Hong Kong, China, from 17 to 24 January 2025, with 154 athletes from 18 countries vying for top honors.
Among the standout performers was 24-year-old Matthew David Chan, who made a remarkable debut on the international stage. Despite being the youngest member of the team and competing in his first international event, Chan emerged as Team Singapore’s most outstanding player. He secured a silver in the Men’s Singles TPB10 event and a bronze in the Men’s All Events TPB10 event.
Reflecting on his performance, Chan, who was born with a rare congenital hand difference called symbrachydactyly, said, “It was a fruitful and enriching first experience stepping onto the international stage. Although I managed to achieve a Silver and Bronze medal, I felt that I could have done better. On my first day competing, I was nervous and scared. Securing the Silver for Singles helped me realise that beating them was possible. Thanks to my coaches, teammates, family, Bowling Association for the Disabled Singapore (BADS) and the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) for believing in me,” said Chan.
The team’s success extended beyond Chan, with nine out of 11 Team Singapore para bowlers contributing to the medal tally. In the Men’s Doubles TPB8 event, Low Chang Hong and debutant Vincent Loo Chee Wai earned a silver medal.
Team Singapore players in the TPB4 (Intellectual Impairment) class saw notable performances as well. Siti Nurhamizah Bte Hamzah and 2018 Asian Para Games silver medalist Diane Neo Pei Lin brought home a bronze in the Women’s Doubles TPB4 event. Additionally, the Men’s Team TPB4 event saw Eric Foo Ming De, Muhammad Farhan Bin Ismail, Mohamad Rausyan Bin Mohamad Ya’acob, and Nixon Fan Jun Jie securing another bronze for Singapore.
Ms. Kelly Fan, Executive Director of the SDSC, expressed, “This is our first international disability sports competition for 2025, so the results are greatly encouraging. Despite para bowling being excluded from major games over the past few years, our teams have been working hard to maintain their standard of play to ensure they can step up when the time comes. These results show that not only have our players maintained their standards through quality training, but we have also cultivated new talent. We hope that more partners will come forward to support our teams. We look forward to our para bowlers qualifying and doing well at the next ASEAN Para Games, when the sport returns as a medal event.”
Link to Official Results
Link to medalist photos
