IPC President meets Tokyo Governor for boccia match

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Cravenmet with Tokyo’s Governor Koike on Thursday (23 February) and the two went head-to-head in a boccia match in front of the country’s media.

Governor Koike, who set-up a number of boccia teams within Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) after being impressed by the sport at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, challenged Sir Philip to a match during his last visit to Japan in October 2016 and the IPC President duly accepted.

Joining Sir Philip’s IPC team for the match was Rio 2016 mixed team BC1-2 boccia team silver medallist Hidetaka Sugimura, IPC Governing Board member Yasushi Yamawaki and IPC Chief Executive Offer Xavier Gonzalez.

Despite the team possessing a huge knowledge of the Paralympic Movement, they suffered an 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the TMG team which featured Governor Koike, Sugimura’s Rio 2016 silver medal winning teammate Takayuki Hirose, and TMG’s Tomohito Matsuzaka and Shinpei Usui.

After the match Sir Philip Craven said: “Despite the heavy loss at the hands of the well trained Governor’s team, the match was great fun and that’s what’s important. I would like to congratulate Governor Koike and TMG for their efforts in raising awareness of boccia, a Paralympic sport that is growing in popularity in Japan.

“Prior to the match Governor Koike mentioned that awareness of boccia since Rio 2016 has increased from two per cent to over 40 per cent and many TMG employees now play the sport each month. This is fantastic news as it is important that athletes with high support needs receive the credit they deserve for playing such a highly skilful sport such as boccia.

“Today’s match highlights the extent all delivery partners involved in Tokyo 2020 are going to in order to put on the best Paralympic Games ever.

“Everyone we have met this week has shown immense enthusiasm and commitment for the Paralympic Games and I leave Tokyo convinced that this city can stage something extremely special in three and a half years’ time.”

The boccia match with Governor Koike topped off a busy week for the IPC President which kicked off on Monday when he met Akio Toyoda, President of the Toyota Motor Corporation, and other senior Toyota Executives in Toyoda City.

A day later on Tuesday he helped launch I’m Possible, a new education initiative by the IPC’s development arm the Agitos Foundation which has been translated into Japanese thanks to the support of the Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Centre and the Japanese Paralympic Committee.

A meeting with Japanese Prime Minster Abe was the highlight of Wednesday, a day where he also gave a media briefing and met the new President of broadcaster NHK Ryoichi Ueda.

As well as meeting Governor Koike on Thursday, Sir Philip met Hirokazu Matsuno, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister in charge of Education Rebuilding. In the afternoon he gave a talk to hundreds of Tokyo 2020 and TMG about his aspirations for the Paralympic Games in 2020.

GB Boccia advertising for Physio

GB Boccia, through the English Institute of Sport, are advertising for a physiotherapist to join our Sports Science and Medicine team.

The job description can be downloaded here and the full advert is on the EIS website here

Paralympic Champion David Smith appointed MBE

GB Boccia's David Smith was appointed MBE in the New Years Honours List following his BC1 Indivdual triumph in Rio.

David, who now holds four Paralympic medals from three Games becomes the second British Boccia player to receive an honour following Nigel Murray MBE.

Nigel Murray MBE and Jacob Thomas retire from Boccia

Nigel Murray MBE and Jacob Thomas have both retired from international boccia after glittering careers.

Nigel’s introduction to boccia came when he attended a disability sports taster day through his former work supporting adults with physical impairments at a social services day centre.

Nigel in action at the 2012 Paralympic Games

Early sporting success came in 1999 when he won national and British individual titles. He made his Paralympic debut one year later in Sydney where he won gold in the individual BC2 event.

He narrowly missed out on a podium place at Athens 2004, but at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games Nigel won silver in the individual BC2 event and gold in the BC1/BC2 team event, where he played alongside Dan Bentley, David Smith and Zoe Robinson.

At London 2012, the BC1/BC2 team faced tough competition to defend their Paralympic title but succeeded in winning bronze. Nigel also placed 7th in the individual BC2.

To date, Nigel has been named British Champion 10 times and crowned National Champion on 13 occasions.

In the 2013 New Year's Honours, Nigel was awarded a MBE for services to boccia. This recognised not only his performances but his role as an ambassador for the sport both across the UK and in his local community. He has been supported throughout his journey by his partner Sylvia Taylor who has been a rock for him every step of the way.

Performance Director Matt Hammond said "Nigel's record speaks for itself and he will be a great loss to the Programme. As well as his individual achievements he has been a tremendous team player and has been instrumental in bringing through new talent, taking them under his wing and watching them flourish. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours."

Jacob, the current British BC3 Champion, has announced his retirement from International Boccia after first coming to prominence back in 2009 when he switched classifications from BC4 to BC3.

Jacob and Dad Mike at the 2014 World Championships

Jacob began 2016 as the BISFed World Number One, and finished it by brilliantly regaining the British title that he first won back in 2010.

The positive impact that he, in partnership with his father and Performance Assistant Mike, has had on the BC3 classification and the wider sport in the UK is immeasurable.

His career has been fantastic and was full of drive, ambition and high attainment. Jacob has made seven consecutive British Championship BC3 finals (with four wins) from 2010 to 2016; he has had wins on the international stage and medals at European, World and World Open levels. He became a Paralympian at the London Games in 2012 but the highlight may have been the 2014 World Championships in Beijing where he achieved a silver medal as part of the British Pair and a bronze medal in the Individual event. Winning the European Cup in Barcelona in 2015 was also a career high.

BC3 Coach Glynn Tromans, who has worked closely with Jacob since 2009 said “Jacob will be proud of his achievements, the friendships he made around the world and for the positive impact he has had on his team mates. Jacob will be remembered for all the influential things he did as part of the GB squad, for years of hard work, dedication, progress and success. We all wish him and Mike a very happy retirement.”

Applicants sought for November Classification Course

GB Boccia will host a classification course in Sheffield on 11th/12th November 2016.

The course will be run by Elsa Matthee, Head of Classification at BISFed, and Dawn Ibrahim, Lead physio for GB Boccia.

Information on the course can be downloaded below:

Flyer
Provisional Schedule
Application form
 

GB Boccia return home from Rio Paralympics with Gold medallist Smith centre stage

The GB Boccia squad returned home from Rio today on the Gold tipped BA flight into Heathrow.

Before they left Brazil the Gold medallists posed for a photo with BC1 Individual Gold medallist David Smith in the middle of the group, unmistakable with his blue mohawk.

Where's Smithy?

The athletes and staff will have a deserved rest before embarking on the long road to Tokyo in 2020 with the intention of adding to the medal tally.

Gold! David Smith takes BC1 title to go one better than London

David Smith was dominant in the BC1 Individual final to run out 5-0 winner and improve on his silver from London 2012.

Having beaten his nemesis Paralympic Champion and World Number 1 Pattaya Tadtong in the quarter final the path to Gold looked clearer. It took an incredible final end in the semi final to see him run out 5-3 winner and he took that momentum into the final.

Smith was in control throughout against Daniel Perez from the Netherlands and took a point on each of the first three ends and then two in the final end to secure the Gold.

Smith now has four Paralympic medals from three Games and has exactly the same tally as his mentor Nigel Murray MBE - two Golds, one Silver and one Bronze. At 27 years old there are plenty more Games to add to that tally.

David Smith makes BC1 Individual Final

After 5 gruelling matches David Smith is through to the final of the BC1 Individual competition and GB Boccia have a guaranteed medal.

The opponent will be Daniel Perez of the Netherlands. Smith and Perez have met several times over the last few years and a good natured rivalry has developed

For the second time today Smithy had to come from behind in the final end. It was three points in the final end to earn a tie break against Tadtong in the quarter final but here Smith took four points from Kim of Korea to win 5-3 having been 1-3 down.

The match is at 16.30 UK time so follow the live tweeting on our twitter feed to keep up wit hthe action.

Smith progresses to Semis but Wilson and McGuire just miss out

David Smith staged a heroic comeback to beat the World Number 1 and reigning Paralympic Champion Pattaya Tadtong of Thailand in the quarter finals of the BC1 Individual competition.

Smith was 4-1 down after three ends and facing an early exit but three on the last end forced the game to tie-break. With the momentum swinging in Smith's favour it was Tadtong who crumbled, missing the jack with his first ball. Smith nailed the jack with his first ball and Tadtong could do nothing about it with his five remaining balls. He plays again today (20:00 UK time) in the semi final against Won Jeong Yoo for a place in what would be his second individual Paralympic final.

Patrick Wilson also staged a stirring comeback but ultimately fell short against Kim of Korea. 4-0 down after two ends he regrouped to take two on the third end. Needing at least two on the final end he could only score one as Kim came out 4-3 winner and will play Greg Polychronidis in the semi final.

Stephen McGuire was also in quarter final action World Number 1 Yuk Wing Leung of Hong Kong. The first end was tied 1-1 and Leung added a single point on the second end. In the third end McGuire was holding one and had five balls to play but couldn't add to the tally which took the match all square going into the final end. Leung took two in the final end to triumph 4-2 and will face Pornchok Larpyen of Thailand in the semi.

Smith, Wilson and McGuire progress to Quarter Final stage

BC1 David Smith, BC3 Patrick Wilson and BC4 Stephen McGuire all made it through the pool stage to the quarter finals as the other five GB athletes were knocked out.

Smith had good wins in his first two matches but lost the last to end up with the toughest possible quarter final against Pattaya Tadtong of Thailand. Facing the World Number 1 will be a rematch of the final in London 2012 with Smith hoping to avenge his defeat in that match. It will take place at 14.00 UK time on Thursday.

Wilson had to recover from a 3-0 deficit in his second pool game but clawed it back and will face Han Soo Kim of Korea, a player he beat 9-2 in Montreal earlier in the year, for a place in the semi finals. He will be on court at 14.00 UK time.

McGuire also came from behind in two of his pool games and still topped his group despite a loss to Dirceu Pinto of Brazil in his last match. World number 1 Yuk Wing Leung of Hong Kong finished second in his group so will be McGuire's opponent at 15.30 UK time on Thursday.

Nigel Murray, Josh Rowe, Jamie McCowan, Scott McCowan and Kieran Steer all exited the competition at the pool stage but will be court side to cheer on their compatriots in their matches.

BC4 Pair beaten to Bronze by Thailand

It was an agonising third fourth place in two Games for Stephen McGuire as the BC4 Pair of McGuire, Evie Edwards and Kieran Steer lost 3-2 to Thailand in the Bronze medal match.

GB took one point on each of the first two ends and seemed in control but Thailand leveled it in the third end and nicked the fourth to come out 3-2 winners. It seemed GB had bounced back from their semi final defeat by host Brazil but McGuire and Steer must now look to the individual competition for an opportunity to win a first Paralympic medal.

David Smith, Nigel Murray and Josh Rowe will also be in individual competition and they will hope to be fresh after a days rest after going out of the Team event to Thailand at the Quarter final stage.

All three BC3 players will be in action too as they look to put their pool stage exit behind them.

Tomorrow's schedule is here and the GB matches are as follows (UK time):

1400 Jamie McCowan v Greg Polychronidis (GRE)
1515 Josh Rowe v Worawut Saengampa (THA)
1515 Patrick Wilson v Mario Peixoto (POR)
1730 David Smith v Jakub Nagy (SVK)
2000 Steph McGuire v Pedro Clara (POR)
2000 Kieran Steer v Eliseu Dos Santos (BRA)
2100 Scott McCowan v Nurulasyiqah Mohammad Taha (SIN)
2100 Patrick Wilson v Dan Michel (AUS)
2330 Joshua Rowe v Cristina Goncalves (POR)
2330 Nigel Murray v Manuel Martin (ESP)

First day of Paralympic competition brings mixed results

GB won three and lost three as the Team and Pairs competition started at the Paralympic Games.

The BC4 Pair of Stephen McGuire, Evie Edward and Kieran Steer won both their games to put them in a commanding position in the pool. A tight game against Slovakia finished 4-2 while the Portugal match was more comfortable, GB took 4 in the first end and 6 in the third end to win 11-4. A tricky final pool game against Hong Kong awaits on day two.

Evie Edwards throws the jack in the BC4 victory over Slovakia

The BC1/BC2 Team of David Smith, Nigel Murray, Josh Rowe and Claire Taggart made it through to the quarter final after winning one and losing one. The Team made the perfect start in what could have been a potential banana skin, beating the Netherlands 11-2. They could not maintain their form as they lost 10-4 to Japan after having taken 2 from the first end. The defeat means a tougher quarter final against World Number 1's Thailand, GB's conquerors in 2012.

Nigel Murray looks to add to the tally against the Netherlands

The BC3 Pair of Patrick Wilson, Jamie McCowan and Scott McCowan exited the competition after defeats to Portugal 4-3 and Greece 4-1 meant they could not progress whatever the result of their final pool games against Singapore today. The BC3 event is incredibly competive but the Pair will be disappointed at relinquishing the lead in both matches having won the first end.

Today's (Sunday 11th September) schedule is as follows (time is British Summer Time):

1500 - BC4 Pair v Hong Kong in final pool game

1630 - BC3 Pair v Singapore in final pool game

1630 - BC1/BC2 Team v Thailand in quarter final

GB Boccia featured on BBC and Channel 4 News

Ahead of the GB Boccia squad's departure to Rio for the Paralympic Games, BBC news featured Claire Taggart on the News at Ten, while Channel 4 News also profiled the sport.

Claire, from Larne in Northern Ireland, was filmed at camp at Surrey Sports Park and at home by Kate Grey, a former Paralympic swimmer. Claire talks about her background and aspirations for Rio in the video which you can watch here

Channel 4 News filmed a video at camp in Sheffield which can be seen below:

It was played in ancient Greece, throughout the Middle Ages - and some say Sir Francis Drake was having a go at it when the Spanish Armada sailed into view. Boccia has been described as the earliest game ever played: it's got echoes of bowls, snooker and even darts.

First 'National Boccia Day' planned by Boccia England

Boccia England announces the first National Boccia Day that will take place at sports clubs up and down the country on Saturday 17 September.

Disability sport boccia is one of the events of the Paralympic Games, being held in Rio de Janeiro and National Boccia Day is timed to coincide with the games.

Boccia England Interim CEO Jerome Pels said: ‘Boccia is celebrated as a very inclusive sport, and people of all ages and abilities can easily play.

Following the success of our athletes in the London 2012 Games, we have high hopes for this year and we wanted to bring some of the excitement of the games to a whole new audience at a local level. We want to encourage anyone, regardless of ability to come along for the day and try something new!’

Clubs that have already signed up include:

• Access Sport (Bristol) Boccia Club
• BEEs Boccia Club
• Bidston Bullets Boccia Club
• Boccia Sheffield
• Croydon Boccia Club
• Cumbria Wheelchair Sports Boccia Club
• Don’t Disability Boccia Club
• Hambleton Boccia Club
• Harlow Hurricanes Boccia Club
• Herne Bay Boccia Club
• Nottinghamshire Boccia Club
• Pauls Place Boccia Club
• Portland College Boccia Club
• Prince Arthur Boccia Club
• Sleaford Boccia Club
• Sportsable Boccia Club
• Telford Boccia Club
• YMCA Redhill Boccia Club

Boccia athlete and multi Paralympic medal winner David Smith said 'I think this is a truly great way to get more people involved in this awesome sport, and I hope that National Boccia Day inspires Paralympians of the future’.

For more information about how you can participate in National Boccia Day, visit the Boccia England website www.bocciaengland.org.uk.

Results of GB Boccia Championships

The winners of the 2016 GB Boccia Championships went according to world rankings as David Smith, Nigel Murray, Jacob Thomas and Stephen McGuire came out on top.

The Championships, held at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford, were the final competitive opportunity for those players selected for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The results were as follows:

BC1

1st - David Smith (ENG)
2nd - Andrew Morgan (ENG)
3rd - Rhodri Tudor (WAL)

BC2

1st - Nigel Murray (ENG)
2nd - Aran Guthrie (ENG)
3rd - Claire Taggart (NI)

BC3

1st - Jacob Thomas (WAL)
2nd - Scott McCowan (SCO)
3rd - Jamie McCowan (SCO)

BC4

1st - Stephen McGuire (SCO)
2nd - Kieran Steer (SCO)
3rd - Evie Edwards (ENG)

Provisional draw for final day of 2016 GB Boccia Championships

Draw made for 2016 GB Boccia Championships

The draw for the 2016 GB Boccia Championships has been made and is available below.

The event is being held at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July. It is the final competitive opportunity for the GB players selected for the Paralympic Games before they fly out to Rio to take on the best in the world.

Spectators are more than welcome, entry is free and there are no tickets required.

The pools and schedule can be downloaded in PDF here

Claire Taggart's Blog on the ParalympicsGB Team Launch

I got the 9:10am flight from Belfast City to Heathrow so it meant leaving the house at 7am. By the time we got through security and into departures it was almost time to get on the plane. Dad had breakfast on the plane but I couldn’t face cooked breakfast at that time!

We arrived into Heathrow early and got the 11am Heathrow Express to Paddington. *Top Tip – If you use a wheelchair, rather than use a kiosk, go to the counter with staff at it as you will get a discounted rate*

Once we got to Paddington, we jumped on the 148 bus to St Thomas Hospital and from there is was only a 2 minute walk to our hotel, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. We checked in and went for lunch which was a huge buffet. After lunch I had some time before we were due for a team debrief so I went to do some kit swapping for my dad, he had some items which were to small. The adidas staff were brilliant and so lovely, sorting any issues quickly.

Then it was time for our team debrief from the previous week, we had hosted the Spanish BC1/2 team for a test event. We won all 4 matches we played and it was a great experience and good to get match play close to Rio. This meeting lasted around an hour, then it was time for media interviews.

We each got a slip of paper for who we were to meet, I had Sportsbeat, C4 Images and BBC. The BBC interview was fun and with the lovely Elizabeth Hudson who I had met at SPOTY 2015. Whilst at SPOTY, myself, Jo Butterfield (club thrower) and Sophie Hahn (T38 Sprinter) enlisted Elizabeth’s help to try and find Niall Horan but he had left, not before I got a selfie with him earlier in the evening.

Prior to my TV interview, Carol (Joshua’s mum) did my hair in french plaits ready for the night ahead, so it was time for a quick wash and change into formal wear ready for our Team Launch Dinner.

We had a great night at the dinner with plenty of inspiring speeches from Rio 2016 Chef De Mission, Penny Briscoe and it was very well hosted by Ade Adepitan. We watched the new promotional videos for Rio 2016 which are amazing, but again boccia is missed out.

After this we had 3 courses which were delicious and very filling, with the evening culminating in good luck messages from some well known faces and Adam Hills from the Last Leg providing some Rio 2016 comedy. The evenings finale was a Brazilian drumming band which was very loud and made those of us with CP and similar conditions jump, but in all it was great fun.

GB Boccia athletes selected for Rio Paralympic Games

A team of 10 boccia athletes and four competition partners have today been announced by the British Paralympic Association (BPA), including reigning individual BC4 World Champion and Pairs BC4 European Champion Stephen McGuire and London 2012 medallists David Smith and Nigel Murray MBE.

A Paralympic-specific sport similar to boules, boccia is a sport that requires deep tactical nuance as well as incredible accuracy and control from its athletes. Games can be nail-bitingly tense with the result often not decided until the final ball is thrown. As a result, athletes have to maintain intense concentration if they want to come out on top.

Smith was a London 2012 individual BC1 silver medallist and featured in the bronze medal-winning BC1/BC2 team at London 2012 alongside Murray.

Speaking today, Smith said:

“I am really happy to be selected to compete at my third Paralympic Games. Beijing and London were both completely different experiences, and I look forward to finding out what Rio has in store for me.

“The standard of international competition continues to go up, but I’ve remained focused on my preparations to ensure I’m in the best possible place. I hope the country will get behind us and help supercharge the team to success.”

Murray will be competing at his fifth Games and will compete in both individual and team competitions once again, while Smith is returning for his third Games.

Murray said:

“There’s no greater honour to represent your country on the international stage and this is the ultimate competition for our sport. The selection process has been tough, but it’s been great to welcome some new faces on to the team as it demonstrates the great strength in depth in the squad, something which keeps pushing us to give the best possible performance every time we compete.”

Smith and Murray are joined in the BC1/BC2 team by Games debutants Josh Rowe and Claire Taggart. This quartet won BC1/BC2 Team gold at the 2015 European Team and Pair Championships in Guildford.

The selected team also includes the McCowan brothers, Jamie and Scott, who play together in the BC3 pairs competition and against each other in the individual competition regularly on the international circuit. Linda McCowan, mother of the brothers, will take on the role of ramp assistant for Jamie, while Dad Gary is Scott’s ramp assistant, meaning the whole family will be in competition in Rio.

Speaking today, Jamie said:

“I’m made up to be competing at my first Paralympic Games, it was a really special moment for the family to share when we heard the news. I’ve learnt a lot from Scott’s experience at London 2012, and it will help form part of my preparations for Rio. I’ve been working really hard on improving every aspect of my game and I can’t wait to go out there and compete.”

Joining the McCowan family in the BC3 category will be Patrick Wilson, who won a 2014 World Championship silver medal in the BC3 pair with Scott McCowan.

In the BC4 category, World Champion Stephen McGuire is joined by Kieran Steer and Evie Edwards. The trio won a team silver medal at the 2015 BISFed European Championships.

Penny Briscoe MBE, Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB, said:

“With all the tactical nous of chess and the accuracy of archery, this is a sport that is so exciting to watch and I cannot wait to get to the Carioca venues in Rio to support this incredible team. There is so much medal potential in here that I know they will make the nation proud when they compete at Games.”

Matt Hammond, Team Leader for GB Boccia, said:

“Today’s announcement is a proud moment for me as team leader and I’m delighted to confirm our line-up for Rio. The team is as strong as it’s ever been and these athletes have been pushed throughout the qualification period to deliver the performances needed to secure their place on the team. I’d like to congratulate the athletes and their competition partners for all of their hard work up to this point and I believe we can pose a real threat to our rivals on the court in Rio."

Selected athletes are:

BC1 David Smith (competition partner: Sarah Nolan)
Home town: Eastleigh
Main training base: Swansea

BC2 Nigel Murray
Home town: Leamington Spa
Main training base: Warwick St Nicholas Park Leisure Centre

BC2 Joshua Rowe
Home town: Perth
Main training base: Stirling

BC2 Claire Taggart
Home town: Larne
Main training base: Larne

BC3 Patrick Wilson (competition partner: Kim Smith)
Home town: Edinburgh
Main training base: Edinburgh

BC3 Jamie McCowan (competition partner: Linda McCowan)
Home town: Dundonald, Ayrshire
Main training base:Dundonald

BC3 Scott McCowan (competition partner: Gary McCowan)
Home town: Dundonald, Ayrshire
Main training base: Dundonald

BC4 Stephen McGuire
Home town: Hamilton
Main training base: University of the West of Scotland

BC4 Kieran Steer
Home town: Crossgates, Fife
Main training base: Fife

BC4 Evie Edwards
Home town: Ipswich
Main training base: Ipswich

GB Boccia deliver BISFed 'Making Boccia Accessible' project in Dubai

Making Boccia Accessible programme supported by BISFed, Agitos Foundation, UK Sport and Hogan Lovells, aims to train Boccia Ambassadors across 3 continents and 20 countries to enable the candidates to return to their home country to begin to encourage more Boccia Ambassadors to enter the game with the hope that up to 10,000 new boccia players can be introduced into the sport.

400 boccia sets are being circulated as part of the project and National Paralympic Committees with trained Boccia Ambassadors will receive 10 sets via their local High Commission.

Andrinne Craig and Darren Thomson from Scotland were selected by Scottish Disability Sport to represent BISFed to deliver this exciting initiative in Dubai following session in Africa and South America. The tutors have many years’ experience in coaching and officiating Boccia and are also involved in the coach and officials education system in Scotland.

Scottish Disability Sport, who are the governing body for sport for people with a disability in Scotland and are a member of GB Boccia, have a history of supporting and developing boccia at local, regional and international level involving players and officials. They are also leading partners on coach and officials education programmes in Scotland and the UK.

17 Candidates arrived in Dubai representing the following countries, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Jordan, Mongolia and UAE.

These candidates had a very wide range of prior knowledge of Boccia with candidates form Mongolia claiming that this was the “first time they had touched a Boccia ball” to India stating that they have “around 10 people playing the sport”.

David Hadfield, President of BISFed, was in attendance for parts of the delivery but was also involved in the feedback session.

All candidates appeared to enjoy the course and gave excellent feedback.

The key elements that arose were that candidates were going to take their new knowledge back to their own countries and deliver further training, events etc.

This was summarised by the Sri Lankan candidate’s comments:

“We were looking for opportunities for children with cerebral palsy and love that boccia is so inclusive. We will create a boccia group/forum and train ambassadors from each district who can begin to deliver boccia to children in those areas.  There are three CP special schools with 110+ pupils and now they have a sport to play.  We want to create happiness and the opportunity for children to play sport through Boccia”.

The session ended with David Hadfield giving is thanks to all the candidates for their attendance and their commitment to further develop Boccia in their country.