The United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships will return to Baton Rouge in 2017 after a two-decade absence.
The competition will take place at the Baton Rouge River Center, which will be transformed to a custom 48-lane venue for the championship’s competitors and spectators.
Communities playing host to the bowling competition can expect an economic boost estimated at roughly $40 million during the course of the tournament, according to a news release announcing the return of the bowling congress.
More than 20,000 bowlers from across the United States and several countries are expected to attend the 2017 Women’s Championships when it’s held here in Baton Rouge. The championship will run for 79 days from April 23, 2017, through July 10, 2017.
The prize fund in 2017 is expected to be in the millions.
“On average, most groups spend about 3.5 days in the host city, and only a few hours are spent on the lanes. The rest of the time will be spent seeing the sights, sampling local food or learning about Louisiana’s rich history,” reads the news release.
The River Center’s transformation is expected to take place in mid-December and will take about 50 days.
The last time the women’s championships came to Baton Rouge was in 1993 when it was held at Metro Bowl and Don Carter’s All Star Lanes. The tournament made one other stop in Louisiana in 1996 in New Orleans. The River Center also played host to the USBC Open Championship in 2005 and 2012.
The first Women’s Championships, now the world’s largest participatory sporting event for women, was conducted in St. Louis in 1916.
