2002 Boccia World Championships—Largest Competitions to Date

The continuing development and popularity of Boccia as a sport for people with a severe disability was re-enforced at these World Championships with 182 players from 28 countries competing. These Championships, which took place in Povoa de Varzim, Portugal, from June 18 to 28 2002, were the largest Boccia competitions to be hosted to date. The participants competed in individual, pair and team events. England/Wales, Spain and Portugal shared the first place in the final medal tally, all of them with two gold medals. The growing popularity of the sport is matched by the constantly improving quality of play. This general improvement in quality was significant at the Championships with the emergence of strong performances by athletes from the East Asian, South Pacific and South American regions.

Aiming… for a medal!

The organisation of the event was outstanding: the Portuguese hosts provided the players with excellent facilities and technical backup to ensure that they were able to concentrate on their performance. The CP-ISRA International Boccia Commission (IBC) wishes to acknowledge the support given by the Portuguese Federation.

The IBC were delighted to have representation from the Athens 2004 Organising Committee at the event. This was a great opportunity for both parties to exchange information on the progress being made towards the Paralympic Games in 2004. The IBC now looks forward to the final ranking qualification tournament to be hosted in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2003.

Jim Thomson
Chairman, CP-ISRA International Boccia Commission