Advertisement
Explainer | Tokyo Paralympics: what is boccia, the event that has yielded four golds for Hong Kong?
- Boccia was first competed at the 1984 Paralympics in New York City
- Hong Kong stands seventh on the all-time Olympic boccia medal tally
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Boccia (pronounced bot-cha) is a strategic ball and target sport unique to the Paralympic Games. Similar in concept to bowls, bocce ball and the Winter Olympic sport of curling, it is one of only two sports without an Olympic counterpart (the other being goalball).
Advertisement
Despite being a relatively unknown event, Hong Kong has seen exceptional success in boccia over the years, claiming two gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens and one in Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016 respectively.
Among Hong Kong’s 24-athlete delegation at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, five are scheduled to compete in individual boccia events – including boccia prodigy and former world number one Leung Yuk-wing and current Asian number one Ho Yuen-kei.
But what is boccia? Here’s everything you need to know about this lesser-known but highly strategic and tactical precision ball sport, and how athletes with severe physical disabilities have showcased skill, accuracy and determination since the sport’s Paralympic debut in 1984.
What is boccia and how is it played?
While boccia is played competitively across 75 countries registered as members of the Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed), the official governing body of the sport, it still remains one of the least well-known Paralympic events.
Advertisement