Formation 2005 Headquarters Tokyo, Japan | Extinction 2009 Region served Japan | |
Purpose Professional ten-pin bowling tour in Japan, sanctioned by the JPBA Membership Mainly Japanese nationals. | ||
DHC Ladies Bowling Tour (DHCレディースオープンボウリングツアー) (DHC LBT) was a Japan-based bowling tour for women bowlers. The Tour hosted a series of four to five tournaments each year throughout Japan. The tournaments were open to both professionals and amateurs. The Tour's corporate sponsor was DHC Corporation, a maker of cosmetics and health food supplements. The CEO of DHC is Yoshiaki Yoshida - one of the biggest supporters of the sport of bowling in Japan. DHC LBT started up in 2005, and was sanctioned by the Japan Professional Bowling Association (JPBA).
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In addition to the Tour's tournaments, DHC also hosted the DHC Cup Girls Bowling International, at the time the third-biggest tournament for women in the world, just behind the Women's U.S. Open and the USBC Queens. The DHC members also competed in other non-DHC events, such as P★League.
According to DHC's web site, the Tour was canceled, citing various circumstances. In May 2010, DHC officially separates itself from the JPBA, by announcing it will be the major sponsor of the LBO Ladies Bowling Tour, and will be operated by the Ladies Bowling Organization of Japan. The JPBA and LBO are currently competing professional leagues. As of June 2010, twelve bowlers resigned from the JPBA and moved over to the LBO - including Hiroko Shimizu and Mai Takasaka.