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Sports >>Boccia

Venue: Gymnasium, His Majesty The King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Stadium
Technical Meeting: 20 January, 2008

A sport which dates back to ancient times, boccia is one of the fastest growing Paralympic sports. Boccia is a test of muscle control and accuracy, requiring high focus and concentration. The goal of the sport is to throw/bowl game balls so they land as close as possible to a special target ball, the 'jack'. Boccia is practiced in 42 countries and is open to athletes with cerebral palsy or related neurological conditions using a wheelchair.

It has been developed for many years as a leisure activity and as a competitive sport and it was introduced at the New York 1984 Paralympic Games. Boccia has no counterpart in the Olympic programme. All events are mixed gender and feature individual, pair and team competitions for a total of seven medal events. The game consists of four rounds, in individuals and pairs, and of six rounds in the team division. It is played on a marked court, usually with a hard surface. Boccia is governed by the International Boccia Commission, a committee of the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA).

Classification
Players with cerebral palsy classified as CP1 or CP2 athletes as well as athletes with other severe physical disabilities (eg, muscular dystrophy) are eligible to compete in Boccia.

See Event Schedule

Rules
The Boccia competition will follow the latest International Boccia Committee (IBC) rules and regulations.

Download the rules here

A side is allowed to examine boccia balls prior to a match. If request is considered reasonable, different ball(s) / set(s) may be used for the match. Boccia balls may be changed at the discretion of the referee.

A match is played between two sides in Single, Pairs and Team events. Each match consists of four ends in Single and Pairs and six ends in Team events, except when there is a tie-breaker.

Competitors must be present in the Call Room 15 minutes ahead of the start time. If a side is absent, the match will be forfeited.

In the Pairs event, each side is allowed to make one player substitution during a match. In Team events, each side is allowed to make two player substitutions during a match.

Substitution must take place between ends and must not delay the playing of the match. Once a player has been retired from the game, they must not be substituted back in.

Technology and Equipment
Balls: Boccia balls are made of natural or synthetic leather and are slightly bigger than a tennis ball. Any ball will be accepted for play from any manufacturer providing they weigh 275gr (+/- 12gr) and measure 270mm in circumference (+/- 8mm). All balls will be checked at each competition. There are six red and six blue balls to indicate which team is playing and one white ball called the "jack".
The Court: The Boccia court measures 12.5 x 6m with 2m of free space around it. The surface of the court is flat and smooth. The throwing area is divided into six rectangular throwing boxes. On the court is a V-shaped line over which balls must cross for the throw to be valid. A cross marks the position where the jack must be placed if it touches or crosses the boundary line or in the case of a tie break.
                      

                                      
Dead Ball Container: Placed at the end of the court.  A ball is 'dead' if it is thrown after the time limit, it is thrown out of the competition court or if, during a throw, an athlete makes a rule violation.
Measuring Device: Used to accurately measure the distance of each ball from the jack.

*Information gathered from www.paralympic.org.