Boccia is a precision ball sport, similar to bocce, and related to bowls and pétanque. The name "boccia" is derived from the Latin word for "boss" – bottia. The sport is contested at local, national and international levels, by athletes with severe physical disabilities. It was originally designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy but now includes athletes with other severe disabilities affecting motor skills. In 1984, it became a Paralympic sport and as of 2020, 75 boccia national organizations have joined one or more of the international organizations. Boccia is governed by the Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed) and is one of only two Paralympic sports that have no counterpart in the Olympic program.
Boccia at the 2004 Summer Paralympics took place in the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall in Athens. Contestants were categorised as follows:
Shepherd Center is a private, not-for profit hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1975, the 152-bed hospital focuses on the medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and other neuromuscular problems.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India ministry. It is responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society, including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Manual Scavengers, the disabled, the elderly, and the victims of drug abuse.
Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research is an autonomous institute functioning under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of India. It is located in Olatpur, 30 km from Cuttack.
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities (Divyangjan) (P.D.U.N.I.P.P.D.) is an autonomous organisation under the administrative and financial control of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, government of India.
Boccia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics was held in the ExCeL from 2 September to 8 September, with a maximum of 104 athletes competing in seven events. There were four individual events, two pair events, and one team event.
Cycling has been contested at every Summer Paralympic Games since the 1984 Summer Paralympics.
The 2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling where athletes with a physical disability competed in 2011. The Championships took place at the Montichiari Velodrome in Montichiari, Italy from 11 to 13 March 2011.
The men's 1 km time trial was part of the 2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, held in Montichiari, Italy in March 2011.
The Men's individual pursuit events at the 2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships was held on March 11 and 12.
The women's time trial was part of the 2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, held in Montichiari, Italy, in March 2011.
The women's individual pursuit events at the 2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships was held on March 11, 12 and 13.
Boccia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics was held in Riocentro, in the Barra district of Rio de Janeiro in September 2016, with a maximum of 104 athletes competing in seven events. The programme consisted of four individual events, two pairs events, and one team event, spread across four classifications.
Les Autres sport classification is system used in disability sport for people with locomotor disabilities not included in other classification systems for people with physical disabilities. The purpose of this system is to facilitate fair competition between people with different types of disabilities, and to give credibility to disability sports. It was designed and managed by International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) until the 2005 merger with IWAS, when management switched to that organization. Classification is handled on the national level by relevant sport organizations.
LA2 is a Les Autres sport classification is an wheelchair sport classification for a sportsperson with a disability that impacts their locomotor function. People in this class have severe locomotor issues with all four limbs as a result of loss of muscle strength or spasticity to a lesser degree than LAF1 or have severe locomotor issues in three of their limbs. They have moderate sitting balance, but good sitting balance while throwing.
LA6 is a Les Autres sport classification is an ambulatory sport classification for a sportsperson with a disability that impacts their locomotor function. People in this class have a minimal locomotor disability that tends to impact one of their upper limbs or knees. The class includes people with arthritis and osteoporosis, or ankylosis of the knee.
The 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling where athletes with a physical disability. The Championships took place at the Montichiari Velodrome in Montichiari, Italy from 17 to 20 March 2016. Great Britain were the most successful team of the competition in total medals (18) and in number of gold medals (8). The Championships saw 11 new world records set.
The 2017 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships is the World Championships for road cycling for athletes with a physical disability. The Championships took place on the roads of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa from 31 August to 3 September 2017.
Boccia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, took place at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre. There were expected to be 116 qualification slots across eight mixed events: four individual events, two pairs events and one team event.
