Although the exact origin of bowls remains uncertain, it is undoubtedly an ancient game. The Romans may have brought it to England in 55 BC, and there are references to the sport in manuscripts describing accounts of the Crusades (1095-1192). The modern version and standard rules of the sport were developed in Scotland in 1848. As Britain established colonies throughout the world, many expatriates constructed bowling greens and the game spread to various corners of the globe.

People with a disability have been competing with and against their able-bodied counterparts for many years but the first recorded events specifically organized for people with a disability occurred in Johannesburg, South Africa, when games for groups of visually impaired bowlers commenced in the 1930s. Bowls was first featured in the Paralympics at the 1968 Games in Israel and was included in all Paralympic Games until 1996, with the exception of the Barcelona 1992 Paralympics. The sport no longer fulfilled the criteria set to be part of the Paralympic programme for the Sydney 2000 Paralympics and was removed from the programme. Most bowlers with a disability spend the majority of their playing time competing in able-bodied events.

Today, although very popular in many of the countries in which it is played, it is still mainly limited to countries that were once British colonies such as Australia, which has more than 500,000 registered players.

For more information, please go to http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Bowls.htm.

Bowls is governed at the international level by the IPC through the International Paralympic Bowls Committee. The sport has 42 member nations over six continents. Its strength lies in the many hundreds of clubs throughout the world and for many men and women it is not only a game but also a way of life. Most clubs welcome people with a disability and there are many who do not belong to a disability sport organization but are fully integrated into the able-bodied organizations and competitions.