Pronounced like “gotcha”, Boccia is descendent from ancient Greek ball tossing games. It has now been developed into a fun game enjoyed by able and disabled people alike. A game similar to Boccia was played throughout the

Roman Empire and later developed into such variants as the Italian version of Bocce, French Petanque, and Lawn Bowls.  Boccia can be both a competitive sport or a recreational activity played anywhere from the garden to a Paralympic level. The balls are of a solid but pliable nature with a kinetic and rolling quality, this often means those with a more severe functional disability are able to grip the ball more easily, it also has the possibility of reducing the advantage of physical strength so that skill becomes a more important factor. A player can also kick the ball into court and others may use specifically designed assistive devices such as ramps. In 1984 Boccia was officially recognised as a Paralympic discipline and since then has gone from strength to strength. New clubs playing Boccia are regularly springing up. Many social and day centres, schools, residential establishments and sports clubs are involved in the sport, or expressing an interest in developing it further. Boccia was first played in

Australia in 1987 when it was brought back from Gitz. From then it was played in the Bicentennial Westfield Games from which

Australia sent a team to the 1988 Seoul Paralympics.Boccia Australia was formed in 1990 by athletes in

Sydney. From this action Boccia has grown in strength and numbers with four states becoming members of Boccia

Australia. 2007 has seen

Tasmania and ACT compete at National level for the first time. In 1991 Boccia

Australia was presented with an Award by the International Boccia Committee for its contribution to the sport worldwide.

Australia has been represented at most international events since 1990 and has been ranked as high as fifth in the international rankings. Boccia

Australia has also contributed to the development of the sport worldwide. In 1992 Boccia

Australia was invited to hold a seat on the International Boccia Committee. In 1995 Boccia

Australia held the Boccia World Cup at Penrith Panthers with 14 countries competing. It was the first time that an international Boccia event was held outside

Europe.

Australia had a huge influence on the development of the sport internationally with the development of new devices for the ramp division and development of the referee’s accreditation and classification systems. Boccia

Australia was inducted into the Boccia Hall of Fame for their contribution to the sport. The sport continues to grow not only in

Australia but throughout the world with over fifty countries now participating in the sport.