Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren claim the women’s and men’s singles titles after already winning mixed doubles gold

The Netherlands completed a spectacular clean sweep at the European Championship of Champions 2026 in Ankara, with Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren winning the women’s and men’s singles titles after teaming up to take mixed doubles gold earlier in the championship.

The final day at Rollhouse Bilkent delivered two exciting best-of-three finals, with both Dutch players showing their strength under pressure to finish the championship as individual European champions.

The achievement gives the Netherlands all three gold medals available at ECC 2026.

Sanders crowned women’s singles champion

Nicole Sanders of the Netherlands is the ECC 2026 Women’s Singles Champion after defeating Alexandra Giannadaki of Greece 2–0 in the final.

Sanders produced an impressive run through the championship. After starting 17th following the opening block, she climbed steadily through the standings and finished qualifying in third position. After the additional eight-game Final Step 1, she remained third with 6,203 pins, earning a place in the semifinals.

Giannadaki entered the semifinals as the leading player after 32 games, with 6,546 pins, while Ireland’s Hannah Masterson was second with 6,327. Sweden’s Hanna Engberg completed the top four alongside Sanders.

In the first semifinal, Giannadaki defeated Engberg 2–0, winning 201–179 and 222–208.

Sanders then faced Masterson in the second semifinal. The Dutch player won a closely contested opening game 203–199, before taking the second 226–212 to secure a 2–0 victory and her place in the final.

The championship match saw Sanders take control immediately. She opened with 204 against Giannadaki’s 176 and then closed out the title with a 223–192 victory.

With a 2–0 win, Sanders secured her first ECC singles gold medal and added another title to the mixed doubles gold she had already won with van Weeren.

Women’s Singles Medalists
Gold – Nicole Sanders — Netherlands
Silver – Alexandra Giannadaki — Greece
Bronze – Hannah Masterson — Ireland
Bronze – Hanna Engberg — Sweden

Van Weeren comes from behind to win men’s title

The men’s singles final produced another dramatic comeback as Jord van Weeren of the Netherlands defeated Mathias Danielsen Otting of Norway 2–1.

Van Weeren finished fourth after the 32-game stage with 6,826 pins, behind England’s Raymond Teece, defending champion Lukáš Jelínek and Mathias Danielsen Otting. Teece led the standings with 7,057, while Jelínek was second with 7,024 and Otting third with 6,942.

The semifinals immediately changed the order at the top.

Van Weeren faced Teece, who had taken the qualifying lead with a perfect 300 game. Teece won the opening game 237–227, but van Weeren responded strongly, winning the second 233–217 and the deciding game 222–160 to advance 2–1.

In the other semifinal, Otting faced defending champion Jelínek. The Czech player started with a 256–243 victory, but Otting fought back to win 235–212 and 259–227, taking the match 2–1 and earning his place in the final.

The championship match followed another comeback script.

Otting took the opening game 236–205, putting the Norwegian one game away from the title. Van Weeren responded with a 194–166 win in game two, forcing a deciding third game.

The Dutchman then produced his best bowling when it mattered most, winning the deciding game 217–177 to take the match 2–1 and claim the ECC 2026 men’s singles title.

Men’s Singles Medalists
Gold – Jord van Weeren — Netherlands
Silver – Mathias Danielsen Otting — Norway
Bronze – Raymond Teece — England
Bronze – Lukáš Jelínek — Czech Republic

Sanders and van Weeren also take mixed doubles gold

The Netherlands had already made history earlier in the championship when Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren won the mixed doubles title.

The Dutch pair finished the eight-game competition with 3,446 pins, averaging 215.4 per game and finishing 141 pins ahead of Estonia.

Kaisa-Ly Lee and Kert Isakar took silver for Estonia with 3,305, while England’s Verity Crawley and Raymond Teece earned bronze with 3,227.

The mixed doubles result proved to be the beginning of an extraordinary championship for Sanders and van Weeren. They would go on to win both singles titles, giving the Netherlands gold in every ECC 2026 discipline.

Mixed Doubles Medalists
Gold – Nicole Sanders / Jord van Weeren — Netherlands
Silver – Kaisa-Ly Lee / Kert Isakar — Estonia
Bronze – Verity Crawley / Raymond Teece — England

A golden championship for the Netherlands

ECC 2026 in Ankara produced a memorable week of European bowling, with national champions from across Europe competing in mixed doubles and singles at Rollhouse Bilkent.

The singles competition featured 24 games of qualifying before the top 12 advanced to an additional eight-game Final Step. The top four then progressed to best-of-three semifinals and finals, producing a dramatic conclusion to the championship.

For the Netherlands, the final medal table could hardly have been better.

Nicole Sanders and Jord van Weeren leave Ankara as double champions, having won mixed doubles together before claiming their respective women’s and men’s singles titles.

ECC 2026 — Medalists

The European Bowling Federation congratulates all medalists and participants on their performances at ECC 2026 and extends its thanks to the organisers, officials, volunteers, host venue and everyone who contributed to the successful staging of the championship in Ankara.

Congratulations to all ECC 2026 medalists!

With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our colleague and friend,

Dr. Pinchas (Pini) Hershkovitz.

Pini dedicated many years of service to the sport of bowling, serving as Technical Director of the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA),  World Bowling, now known as International Bowling Federation, the European Bowling Federation (EBF), and the European Senior Bowling Championships (ESBC).

He will be remembered with love and respect for his invaluable contribution to bowling and by all those whose lives he touched.

Our deepest condolences go to his family, loved ones, and all who knew him.

May his memory be a blessing.

Odense International 2026 was held from the 15th of August until the 23rd of August 2026 in Odense Bowling Centre, Odense, Denmark. 

Total of 314 entries and re-entries were bowled during the duration of the tournament by 140 players, where of 36 were women.

After four final steps it came down to a two player final game between the best players from two separate groups. Those players were last year’s winner, Mathias Ankerdal and hometown hero, Anton Petersen.

Just like last year, Ankerdal proved to be too hard to beat and he managed to secure the win and so he became the first back-to-back winner in Odense International history. He had the score of 248 to Petersen’s 243. 

This was Ankerdal’s fourth win on the European Tour. 

The winner of the women’s ranking was Karen Kærgaard Nielsen who finished in 5th place. 

The EBT ranking list can be seen here: Men | Women

Brunswick Euro Challenge returned to the tour with a new host center in the beautiful Løvvang Bowling Centre in Aalborg, Denmark.

The tournament was held from the 8th of August until the 16th of August 2026. Total of 449 entries and re-entries were bowled during the duration of the tournament by 148 players, where of 32 were women.

After three final steps it came down to a three player stepladder final, where all the players were from Sweden.

In the first match it was William Svensson against Adam Andersson. Andersson proved to be too good and managed to win with the score of 231 to Svensson’s 179.

That mean’t it was an all lefty showdown between Andersson and the top seed James Blomgren. And again Andersson proved to be simply too good managing to wrap up the title before the 10th frame, he finished with the score of 214 to Blomgren’s 172.

This is Andersson’s second title in Aalborg and third total on the European Tour, congratulations Adam!

The winner of the women’s ranking was Fiona Lindemann, Germany who just barely missed out on final step 2 and finished in 31st place. 

The EBT ranking list can be seen here: Men | Women

The 2026 IBF World Youth Championships took place from 27 June to 7 July 2026 at the Megalanes Sarawak Bowling Centre in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, bringing together the world’s best young bowlers.

European athletes once again delivered outstanding performances, winning medals across several events and finishing among the top nations in the overall medal standings.

European Medal Winners

Boys Singles

Gold
• Emil Svensson (Sweden)

Boys Doubles

Gold
• Roni Leskinen & Juho Vuoppola (Finland)

Bronze
• Phil Baumeister & Jaden Wolff (Germany)

Boys Team

Silver – Czech Republic
• Jaroslav Zapletal
• Adam Haxa
• Vít Jiříště
• David Mojka

Mixed Team

Silver – Finland
• Juho Vuoppola
• Roni Leskinen
• Julia Vesanen
• Tiiamari Laukkanen

Bronze – Sweden
• ROBIN NOBERG
• NOEL HAGLUND
• STEFANIE LAYRISSE
• KAJSA SAMUELSSON

Bronze – Germany
• PHIL BAUMEISTER
• MAX LORENZ
• LEA HASSFORTH
• MAXINE BOLEK

Girls Doubles

Bronze – Sweden
• Nicole Layrisse & Maja Engberg

Bronze – Finland
• Emma Palermaa & Stella Lokfors

Overall Medal Table

European federations once again demonstrated the high standard of youth bowling by winning medals in most disciplines throughout the championship.

Finland and Sweden each finished with three medals, while Germany and the Czech Republic also reached the podium with strong performances.

The European Bowling Federation congratulates all athletes, coaches, officials, and national federations on their excellent achievements and wishes them continued success in future international competitions.

Madrid, Spain, 16 July 2026 – The EBT Masters 2026 was successfully hosted at Bowling Chamartín in Madrid, bringing together the top-ranked players of the European Bowling Tour 2025 for an exciting battle for glory and a share of the €17,500 prize fund.

A total of 15 players, comprising eight men and seven women, qualified for the prestigious season-ending event. Throughout the day, fans witnessed high-quality bowling,  and outstanding performances as the sport’s elite competed for the coveted EBT Masters crowns.

In the men’s division, Ben Robinson of England produced a superb performance to secure the 2026 EBT Masters title. Robinson overcame a strong field that included several of Europe’s leading players.

Men’s Final Standings

🥇 Ben Robinson (England)
🥈 Carl Eklund (Sweden)
🥉 Mathias Ankerdal (Denmark)
4️⃣ William Svensson (Sweden)

The women’s competition was equally entertaining, with Nora Johansson of Sweden emerging as the champion after a series of impressive performances. Sweden dominated the division, occupying three of the top four positions.

Women’s Final Standings

🥇 Nora Johansson (Sweden)
🥈 Hanna Engberg (Sweden)
🥉 Jenny Mathiesen (Norway)
4️⃣ Alida Molander (Sweden)

The EBT Masters once again showcased the exceptional standard of bowling across Europe and provided a fitting conclusion to the 2025 season.

Congratulations to Ben Robinson and Nora Johansson, the EBT Masters 2026 Champions, and to all participants for their outstanding performances in Madrid.

The European Women’s Bowling Championships have officially concluded, highlighted by an exciting and fiercely contested Master Competition finale.

In a gripping final match, Jessica Sillis of England claimed the championship title after defeating Laura Beuthner of Germany. Both athletes delivered outstanding performances, showcasing skill, precision, and competitive spirit throughout the match.

The bronze medals were awarded to Nora Johansson of Sweden and Sofie Kærgaard Nielsen of Denmark, both of whom demonstrated exceptional performances during the tournament.

This successful edition of the European Women’s Championships marks another memorable chapter in the competition’s history. The next championship is scheduled to take place in Helsingborg, Sweden, in 2009, where Europe’s top bowlers will once again gather to compete at the highest level.