Adapted or Paralympic boules

A adapted boules is a very democratic sport, in addition to being able to be practiced by men and women, it allows people with a high degree of cerebral palsy or severe disabilities obtain high performance sports.

But anyone who thinks that the sport is extremely easy and slow is wrong. On the contrary, it requires a lot of concentration, muscle control and high precision.

The modality requires six blue balls, six red balls It is a white ball (target ball, jack or pallina). The objective of the players is to roll the colored balls in order to touch as many of them as possible to the target ball.

Initially, the adapted boccia was created for people with chronic encephalopathy, popularly known as paralysis. brain, severe and with a high degree of motor impairment in the four limbs and who, in addition, moved around using a chair on wheels.

However, over time, people with other types of disabilities, as long as they fit the classification, began to be part of the competitions. As an example, it is possible to highlight people with spinal muscular atrophy, progressive motor dysfunction and many others.

History of adapted boccia

The origin of bocce, the sport from which the adapted bocce derives, has an uncertain origin. Some historians claim that in Ancient Egypt and Greece there were already similar practices, but only as a diversion to kill time.

But it was only in Italy that boccia became a sport. Due to the conquests of the Roman Empire, the practice quickly spread throughout Europe. The coming to Brazil was made through Italian immigrants.

But it was only from 1970 onwards that adapted boules began to be practiced. In 1984 for the first time the sport appeared among the disciplines disputed in the Paralympic Games of New York and Stoke Mandeville.

Before that there was lawn bowls, which was very similar to adapted bocce but played on grass. It was in this modality that Brazil won its first Paralympic medal, with Luiz Carlos da Costa and Robson Sampaio de Almeida.

In Brazil, the sport is managed by the National Association of Sports for the Disabled (ANDE).

Rules

Know what are the main rules and fundamentals of adapted boccia:

• All competitors must travel in a wheelchair;
• The use of hands, feet or aid instruments is allowed, in cases of practitioners with a high degree of impairment in the upper and lower limbs;
• Athletes with greater commitment can count on help from helpers, called calheiros;
• The tests can be practiced individually, in pairs or trios;
• Individual: matches are divided into four ends, where athletes throw six balls in each;
• Double: the dispute is also made in four ends, but each player throws three balls per end;
• Trio: games in trios are played in three ends, where each player throws two balls per end;
• The playing area must measure 6m wide by 12.5m long;
• The court must be completely smooth, with a synthetic or wooden floor;
• The object of the game is to throw the colored balls as close as possible to the white ball;
• The player with the highest number of points wins the game;

Classification

The classification of players with cerebral palsy is done in CP1 and CP2. Likewise, athletes with other types of severe disabilities who can also compete in the sport. Depending on the functional classification they can be inserted into one of the four categories below:

BC1 – houses both CP1 pitchers and CP2 players. Players can rely on assistants who must remain outside the athlete's playing area. Their functions are restricted to stabilizing and adjusting the competitor's wheelchair, in addition to delivering the ball when requested.

BC2 – aimed at all CP2 pitchers, in this class players cannot receive assistance.

BC3 – the class is intended for athletes with very severe disabilities. They use an assistive device, and in addition, they can be assisted by a person. The latter must remain in the athlete's playing area, but must keep his back to the judges and avoid looking at the game.

BC4 – specific for competitors with other severe disabilities, but who cannot receive any kind of assistance.