About Boccia

Boccia is a competitive sport, similar to bowls, but designed to be played by people with disabilities - specifically, cerebral palsy and other locomotor disabilities (those which affect motor skills).

It is an official Paralympic sport, and is played in over forty countries worldwide.

Boccia can be played by individuals, pairs or teams of three. The aim of the game is to throw leather balls - coloured red or blue (which side gets which is determined by a coin toss) - as close as they can to a white target ball, or jack.

The jack is thrown first, then each side takes turns to propel their ball towards the jack. The balls can be moved with hands, feet, or, if the competitor's disability is severe, with an assistive device. At the end of each round, the referee measures the distance of the balls closest to the jack, and awards points accordingly - one point for each ball which is closer to the jack than the opponent's closest ball. The team/player with the highest number of points at the end of play is the winner.

Source:
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust