Also trying to welcome female para athletes
„There was definitely a sense in Boca’s world to diversify and encourage women in sports,” David Smithsaid the three-time Bosia gold medalist. „My hope in the future is that female participation is more relevant to the number of female athletes with disabilities – potential athletes – globally, and that the two categories come together again. It might show that female Bocce players are just as good as the male ones, and I believe they are.”
Smith, a 35-year-old British para-athlete, will return to Paris to defend his titles. He will also compete in individual and mixed events Kaylee Hago And Claire Taggart. He will become the para-athlete with the most gold medals in Boccia history. Brazil’s Dirciu Pinto holds the record with four titles.
A precision game
If you’re not familiar with bosia, here are the rules. This game is similar to many precision games like traditional French.„Bétanque”. Two teams of 1, 2 or 3 players face each other. The first team starts the game by throwing a white ball called a jack, then throws the first ball and tries to get as close to the jack as possible. The other team follows, and play continues until 12 balls are in the field.
The team with the most balls closest to the jack gets the points. Each ball is awarded one point more than the closest opposing ball. There are four legs per game, with a fifth leg in case of a tie.
Boccia events begin August On the 29th at South Paris Arena 1.