a game in which the object is to knock down a maximum number of wooden or plastic pins with a hand-rolled ball; the pins are arranged on the ground (usually a wooden flooring) in a certain order and at a certain distance (15–20 m as a rule) from the place where the ball is released, which is called the foul line.
Bowling is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was known as early as the 17th and 18th centuries. It has since spread to many countries, not only as a game for amusement but also as one of the popular sports. In 1971 the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs (founded in 1923) included approximately 50 national federations, representing more than 20 European and up to 20 American countries; approximately 40 million people bowled. The game is most popular in the USA, Great Britain, the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Japan, where national bowling tournaments are held. Throughout countries where bowling is popular, there are special buildings and halls, known as bowling alleys, for play and competition; these halls have automatic ball-returners and pin-setters and devices for signaling the results of each bowl. In the Soviet Union the sport is called kegli, from the German Kegel.