Ireland preparing for European Bowling championships in Germany 

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: The sporting world is looking to Paris and July 26 to the opening of the Olympic Games, but the Olympics for bowling will open with less pomp and circumstance in the picturesque town of Neuharlingersiel on Germany’s North Sea coast on Thursday. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Honan

The sporting world is looking to Paris and July 26 to the opening of the Olympic Games, but the Olympics for bowling will open with less pomp and circumstance in the picturesque town of Neuharlingersiel on Germany’s North Sea coast on Thursday.

European bowling championships have been aligned with the Olympic cycle over several decades, with the official opening always fixed for Ascension Thursday – which is a major feast day in both Germany and the Netherlands.