ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress Open Championships will head to Las Vegas in 2022 with the South Point Bowling Plaza serving as the host venue.
The event previously was scheduled to be conducted in a newly built facility in Houston but because of business interruptions caused by COVID-19, the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and USBC mutually agreed it is not feasible for Houston to host the event in 2022.
The Sports Authority planned to have a new building in a dynamic North Houston setting completed by January 2022. Plans had been approved and was on schedule until the economic disruption from the pandemic made the project timeline unworkable.
“The USBC is an incredible partner and we are disappointed that we will not be able to host this prestigious event,’’ said Sports Authority CEO Janis Burke. “Our organizations put in years of planning on the building and event, but we hope to have a chance to host the USBC Open Championships in the future.’’
USBC and HCHSA plan to work toward a new agreement for Houston to host the Open Championships in the future. Currently, the next available date is 2028.
“We continue to believe Houston is an ideal city for the Open Championships and the partnership with the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority has been strong through these unexpected challenges,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “Thankfully, South Point in Las Vegas stepped up to provide their amazing venue for 2022, once again showing tremendous support for our tournament bowlers.”
With the schedule change, the Open Championships will be conducted at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022. The event is the world’s largest participatory event, attracting over 50,000 bowlers who compete over a four-month period.
Visit BOWL.com/OpenChamp for more information on the Open Championships.
