European Grand Senior Championships 2026 in Vienna: Results
The first European Grand Senior Championships were held at Plus Bowling in Vienna in early 2026. This report covers the format, the participating federations and all medal winners.
Tina Mendo
European Grand Senior Championships 2026 in Vienna: the first edition
The European Grand Senior Championships 2026 (EGSC 2026) were held for the first time at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, with the championship period running from 28 January to 8 February 2026. The Austrian Bowling Federation (ÖSKB) and the Viennese Bowling Federation (LVWB) hosted the new European Bowling Federation (EBF) championships. This report covers the format, the participants and all medal winners.
Venue and schedule
Plus Bowling in Vienna already hosted the first European Senior Championships in January 2020, along with many other international championships over the past decades.
Teams arrived by 30 January; official practice and the opening ceremony followed on 31 January. The competition ran from 1 to 7 February:
- 1 and 2 February: men's and women's singles
- 3 and 4 February: men's and women's doubles
- 5 and 6 February: team event with semi-finals and finals
- 7 February: Masters and farewell party
Men and women played on a 41-foot oil pattern. Singles and doubles were decided over six qualifying games, followed by semi-finals and a final. You can read more about how oil patterns affect the game in our beginner's guide to oil patterns.
Participants
According to the official results, 84 men and 55 women competed in the singles, representing 22 federations: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Wales.
Results: women
- Singles: gold Patricia Vezzu (Belgium), silver Martina Beckel (Germany), bronze Gudny Gunnarsdottir (Iceland) and Martina Becker (Germany)
- Doubles: gold Austria (Monika Schmotz, Gerda Hauska), silver Italy (Rosalba Memmola Barsanofia, Maria Tirelli), bronze England (Diane Johnson, Angie Brown) and Germany (Martina Becker, Martina Beckel)
- Team: gold Austria, silver Germany, bronze Denmark and France
- All-events: gold Martina Beckel (Germany), silver Sara Aviram Harlap (Israel), bronze Liliane Vintens (Belgium)
Results: men
- Singles: gold Anton Zoricak (Slovakia), silver Kim Johnson (England), bronze Wolfgang Hauska (Austria) and Bojan Klarič (Slovenia)
- Doubles: gold Finland (Leif Tuomisalo, Erkki Koivuranta), silver Germany (Ralf Gräwe, Peter Knopp), bronze England (Steve Carnall, Gordon Humphries) and France (Yvan Augustin, Serge Frouvelle)
- Team: gold Germany (Manfred Staab, Ralf Gräwe, Peter Börding, Peter Knopp), silver France, bronze Finland and Scotland
- All-events: gold Serge Frouvelle (France), silver Peter Knopp (Germany), bronze Erkki Koivuranta (Finland)
Host nation Austria won gold in the women's doubles and the women's team event. Germany's Martina Beckel won silver in the women's singles and gold in the women's all-events.
Next up for senior bowlers
The next European Senior Championships are scheduled for 2027 in Palermo, Sicily. If you bowl regularly, your own bowling shoes make a difference: a consistent slide and a pair that fits. BOWLIO bowling shoes are genuine leather top and bottom, with a leather sole under both shoes, and suitable for left- and right-handed bowlers.