SINGAPORE : The world governing body for bowling, FIQ (Federation International des Quilleurs), will soon move its headquarters from the Philippines to Singapore.

This was confirmed by Jessie Phua, who recently assumed the presidency of FIQ. She is the first Singaporean to head a world sports body.

Phua also outlined her plans, such as getting bowling into the Olympics.

The recent Singapore Open saw, for the first time, bowling lanes set up in a shopping centre.

Bringing the sport to the people is just one of the many ways to increase the sport's visibility, according to Phua.

But now as president of the world body, she is thinking bigger - like a world bowling series.

It will consist of six to eight tournaments, involving the three major zones - namely the US, Europe and Asia. And the prize money is a whopping US$150,000 per tournament.

The series will also help unite the three regions.

Singapore is expected to host the final, but Phua has other plans, such as setting up the world secretariat here, manned by professionals who will drive the world bowling series.

The Singapore Sports Council and the Economic Development Board (EDB) are also supportive of the move.

"As a world body, the requirements are going to be much more demanding especially if we have a thriving bowling scene from January to December. We definitely need credible (and) efficient staff to make sure that everything is well run," said Phua, who is also the president of the Singapore Bowling Federation.

The Olympics is the ultimate glory, and the world bowling series is expected to help with that goal.

Other plans on her agenda include getting bowling reinstated into the Commonwealth Games and expanding the sport into the African and Oceania regions. - CNA /ls