Simon Neate Marketing Administrator Sport Bay of Plenty

A great aspect of my role at Sport Bay of Plenty is being able to stay in the loop with all things sport and recreation in the wider BOP community. Every week we receive a number of press releases, emails and calls from organisations and clubs seeking assistance to promote their events, clinics, races, tournaments, meetings, workshops and more.

One event submission that really caught my attention this week is a poster promoting the Upper North Island Boccia championships. The main image features a man in a wheelchair, who looked to be pushing a ball down a chute. I'd never heard of boccia before – and intrigued I sought to find out more.

Boccia in action.

Boccia New Zealand director Luke Morriss says boccia is a paralympic sport. '[It's] A game of skill and strategy that is probably best described as a cross between lawn bowls and petanque.”

The goal of the game, like bowls and petanque, is to get as many of your balls as close to the white target ball as possible. Boccia can be played one-on-one, or in teams of two or three and each side has six small leather balls.

There are two types of boccia player – those with enough function to throw or kick the ball, or those with more limited mobility who with help of an assistant can use a ramp to guide the ball on to the court. The inclusive nature of the sport makes it an appealing choice for those with a physical disability, says Luke.

'It's a sport where they can compete on an even playing field against people of similar function. They get social benefits, and competitive benefits. It's a sport that caters to everyone really.”

It turns out New Zealand has a bit of history in the competitive world of boccia, with a pairs' silver medal in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games; and in 2006 a team gold at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Rio De Janiero is still very much on the agenda too, with the 2016 Paralympic Games just two years away. Although recent changes to qualification laws have made the Olympic dream more difficult, Luke is adamant New Zealand still have at least one elite boccia player in contention for Rio.

The Upper North Island Championships take place on June 28-29 in Hamilton – and while there will be plenty of players striving for regional glory, Luke encourages new players to come along too.

'It's a small sport in New Zealand; and while we are working on building clubs and local games, the regional championships are an ideal starting point for anyone who wants to give it a go.”

For more about Boccia in New Zealand, visit www.boccia.org.nz