Boccia: "Some Games
Cause the Hair on Your Neck to Stand Up"
Boccia first appeared in the New York Paralympics of 1984. An unparalleled sport in the
non-disabled arena, its future at that time was uncertain. However, it has been
ever-present on the international scene, played mainly by cerebral palsy athletes. Now,
one of the fastest-growing sports, boccia can boast over 200 players and 40 national teams
on the official 1999 ranking list. Taking the UK as an example, the number of athletes
competing at national level increased in recent years. The minimum qualifying standards
for the sport have also been raised, emphasizing its status as an elite performance sport.
The increasing number of players, coupled with the increasing popularity of the sport has
led to a surge of people demanding participation on the international scene. Boccia, which
first developed on the European continent, is no longer exclusively a European sport, and
it is great to witness the emergence of countries such as Japan and Kuwait, and the Latin
American countries such as Ecuador and Argentina. The demand for information and knowledge
is growing, and next year there will be a symposium to gather nations for the exchange of
expertise. It will be hosted in Glasgow from 8 to 11 February 2001. The aim of this
symposium is to share coaching expertise and to look at the aspects of sports medicine,
sports science and the players' perspective that may assist in the development of the
sport.
So, what is the life of a boccia athlete? I don't know of any other sport where the
physical and mental demand is so great and prolonged. Running the risk of sounding like a
whiner, I would argue that boccia is one of the most demanding of Paralympic sports, not
just in terms of competition, but also in terms of training. A typical competition
schedule demands players to compete for 10 to 12 hours daily across six consecutive days.
Training obviously mirrors these demands with physical and mental conditioning accounting
for 5 to 6 days training a week (well, for the successful players anyway!).
Coverage of our sport tends to be little, but we continue to dedicate our efforts to it.
Am I fishing for sympathy? No. Am I looking for understanding? Yes. I'd challenge anyone
to watch a top boccia game and to not recognize that boccia is an elite sport. To the
well-trained eye, some games cause the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. The
paradox of boccia lies in that it is a game of accuracy, skill and control, played by
those athletes with the classification of having the least amount of control over their
body.
I have had the privilege of representing my country for 15 years and this will be my third
Paralympics, having competed in Seoul and Barcelona. Predictions: well, you have favorites
like Spain, Portugal and Korea; the Canadians and Austrians should do well, and there is
the precocious talent (and dare I say luck) of the Irish. In my opinion, Great Britain is
worth a flutter.
Good luck to all (even if I don't believe in luck!) and may
the best-looking team win!
Peter Pearse
Athletes Representative, International Boccia Commission, CP-ISRA
Member of the Great Britain Boccia Team |
