| John Bell | |
| Nationality: | British (English) |
| Birth Date: | 14 January 1947 |
| Sport: | Lawn bowls |
| Club: | Wigton BC (outdoors) Cumbria BC (indoors) |
John Nicholson Bell (born 14 January 1947) is a former English lawn and indoor bowler, commentator and World Bowls President.[1] [2] [3]
Bell won his first gold medal as part of the England team that won the team event (Leonard Cup) at the 1980 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Melbourne.[4] Four years later he won another gold at the 1984 World Outdoor Bowls Championships.[5] Following a team gold and double bronze in the triples and fours at the 1988 Auckland Bell won a fourth gold medal in the fours with Andy Thomson, Brett Morley and David Cutler at the 1996 World Outdoor Bowls Championship.[6]
Bell represented England in the fours at the 1994 Commonwealth Games[7] and the fours at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.[8]
Bell made his first appearance in the National Championships at Mortlake in 1966 when he was just 18. He won National Championship titles in the singles in 1983,[9] the triples in 1976 and pairs and triples in 1991.[10] He also won the singles at the British Isles Bowls Championships in 1984.[11] [12]
He bowled for the Wigton Club (outdoors) and the Cumbria Club in Carlisle (indoors).[13] In the mid-1980s he joined the BBC bowls commentary team.[4]
Bell was the Head of Tourism for Carlisle City Council.[3] He was appointed as the President of World Bowls on 6 December 2012, a position he held until 2021.[2] [3] [14]