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Boccia’s popularity on the rise

For kiwis living with impairments, there are many barriers to participation in play, active recreation and sports.

Sport New Zealand’s 2018 ‘Spotlight on Disability Report’ indicates that disabled children between eight and 11 years old have lower levels of confidence to participate, while people aged between 15 and 24 face barriers such as a lack of access to equipment and facilities, family being unable to afford the cost associated with participating, and not having someone to participate with.

Boccia New Zealand is a Christchurch based organisation working to remove barriers for people of all ages, by promoting and delivering the sport of boccia nationwide.

“Our role is essentially the development and growth of boccia across the country,” says Boccia New Zealand General Manager Scott Martin.

“We work in the areas of community engagement, participation, as well as athlete/official development and high performance as well.”

Boccia is an indoor precision ball sport designed specifically for people with a physical impairment impacting locomotor function, and is not dissimilar to pétanque or lawn bowls. Athletes are in a seated position and work to propel a soft leather ball towards a target ‘jack ball’, by either throwing the ball, kicking it, or using a ramp.

As well as the benefits to physical wellbeing for participants, boccia also has social benefits, and can be played either by individuals or in teams of up to three. A highly inclusive sport, Scott says there are close to 100 members of Boccia New Zealand, and it is a game that can be enjoyed by participants of any age, gender or ability.

In June, seven children participated in the Canterbury Primary School Boccia Championships at Bishopdale Recreation Centre.

“We know that disabled tamariki and rangatahi have less access to sport and active recreation compared to their able-bodied peers,” says Scott.

“Competitions like this are a great chance to provide that opportunity for those individuals to participate.”

13-year-old Laszlo participated in what was his fourth and final primary school championships, finishing second in this year’s event.

“My favourite part is the competitive side and also bringing a lot of people together is pretty special,” says Laszlo.

His grandmother, Jill, has been involved in the sport for as long as Laszlo has played, and sees first-hand the impact on participants.

“A lot of these children can’t participate in more active sports,” says Jill.

“Boccia New Zealand provide the facilities; they provide expert help. Being able to play boccia is huge for these children, it’s something that they can do whatever their level of disability is.”

Rātā Foundation supports Boccia New Zealand through the South Island funder’s Participate funding focus area, improving wellbeing by removing barriers to participation in active recreation and sports. 

“We want to see more people in Aotearoa enjoying sport and active recreation, but disabled people face considerably more barriers to participation than their peers,” says Rātā Chief Executive Leighton Evans.

“By addressing these challenges, Boccia New Zealand is creating opportunities to enhance the health and wellbeing of participants; ensuring people of all ages can enjoy both the physical and social benefits of boccia.”

Scott adds there is increased community demand for Boccia New Zealand’s programmes and events, so having support to meet costs such as venue hire and provide sport-specific equipment that is largely sourced overseas, is important to the ongoing growth and development of the sport.

Boccia New Zealand also collaborates with other organisations to deliver events locally, including ParaFed Canterbury, Primary Sports Canterbury, the Halberg Foundation, and Paralympics New Zealand.

“Boccia New Zealand is a member organisation of Paralympics New Zealand,” says Paralympics New Zealand CEO Greg Warnecke.

“They align with our vision of transforming lives through Para sport, and undertake incredible work in providing sporting and recreational activities for disabled people. This is through the delivery of programmes and by supporting regional organisations to create inclusive sport and recreation opportunities for disabled people through boccia”.

Since becoming a Paralympic sport in 1984, twelve New Zealanders have been boccia Paralympians, most recently at the Beijing Games in 2008.

Locally, Boccia New Zealand has plans to expand its programme offerings and geographical reach, and is looking for opportunities to connect with organisations in North Canterbury and Selwyn, as well as further afield to the Tasman region.

“We have work to do in increasing the visibility and awareness around the sport itself, to make sure that individuals living with a disability know about us and the work we do,” says Scott.