CHENNAI: The air was rife with enthusiasm, laughter, and lively chatter at YMCA Nandanam. Cheers and hoots from parents, teachers, volunteers, and disability activists created an atmosphere of community and support for persons with disabilities, mostly wheelchair users. The play area had four courts for each category of participants.
The intensity of the competition peaked as S Santhosh Kumar and K Nalini, both in wheelchairs, squared off in the final round of their category. Volunteers surrounded both participants who were with limited hand mobility, assisting in passing balls to throw.
Cheering sounds echoed in the play area when Nalini was announced as the winner, who jumped in joy, receiving congratulations from the audience. Her mother, who had brought her to the tournament despite her father being ill, was filled with happiness.
Santhosh and Nalini were among the 80 participants from around 15 districts at the 6th Tamil Nadu State Boccia Championship. The event organised by the Ektha Trust over the weekend had individual tournament matches.
Sai Akash, vice-captain of the Indian Deaf Cricket Team and Captain of the TN team, Saikrishnan Purushothaman, a para shooter in air pistol and treasurer of the Tamil Nadu Paralympic Sports Association (TNPSA), Meghanath Reddy, member secretary of SDAT, Kirubakara Raja, general secretary of TNPSA, and Vijayasarathi, a para expert coach from the SDAT, attended.
Speaking at the event, Vijayasarathi remarked, “Boccia is an emerging sport, gaining global recognition. I wish all the participants and winners the very best and encourage them to aim for participation in the Asian Games soon.” Saikrishnan said, “To watch the parents’ efforts to bring these kids to such a tournament and boost them to play brings joy and hope.”
The gameplay
Boccia, a Paralympic sport introduced in 1984 at the New York Paralympics, is a precision ball game played with 13 balls — six red, six blue, and one white target ball, called jack. The aim is to throw the coloured balls as close to the jack as possible, with the winner determined by measuring the proximity of the balls to the target.
Participants are classified into four categories — BC1, BC2, BC3, and BC4. They either throw, kick, or use a ramp to propel the ball toward the court, aiming to get it closest to the jack. Individual matches on Sunday advanced through five stages, from preliminary rounds to the finals, with each stage consisting of four rounds.
Nalini triumphed in the BC1 category, and Gnanakumar secured the BC4 category title. In the BC3 category final, Roopa Vairaprakash and Anushya M faced off in a tight contest. Both using ramps, managed to throw their balls near the jack in the first two rounds. Anushya, however, consistently placed her balls closer in subsequent rounds, clinching the victory. In the BC2 category, Sabana Barveen, a 2024 National Boccia silver medallist and team event gold medallist, bagged the first place.
The Tiruchy-based Sabana said, “I am a student at the Spastics Society of Tiruchirapalli and have been playing Boccia for six years. I was first introduced to the sport when Ektha Trust conducted a training session at my school six years back, and I’ve been practicing ever since. The past year has been a turning point, helping me secure positions in competitions. I hope to play at the international level one day.” The winners will qualify for national-level Boccia competitions.
Keeping up with the sport
Boccia being a growing sport in Tamil Nadu is supported by organisations like the city-based Ektha Trust. In Chennai, Vidya Sagar, a school for special education, offers a venue for training, which is held once a week with the help of Ektha volunteers. However, in other districts, training is conducted at special schools and volunteers visit only once every six months, and the schedule often varies. In the meantime, they are trained by their teachers in their respective schools.
Since 2016, Rajiv Rajan, executive director of Ektha Trust, and Sathish Kumar, Boccia development program coordinator, have been raising awareness about Boccia across the state, providing free training and conducting several camps among the community. “Initially, we didn’t have enough volunteers, but the numbers have improved. Now, we are focusing on finding ways to bring more participants from the districts,” Sathish said.
Even after eight years of taking the sport across districts, and gaining support from NGOs, government support, especially for athletes selected for national and international competitions, is still being sought as financial constraints often prevent talents from shining. Sabana, who was consistently supported with training for state and national competitions by Ektha Trust, couldn’t participate in an international Boccia championship, due to insufficient funds. She requests the government to extend support to players to bring laurels to the state. Around eight players trained by Ektha have won medals at the National Championships in 2019 and 2024.
Another difficulty is the equipment they use to play. A player said, “We are often given wheelchairs with higher handles by the government, which are not suitable for playing, forcing us to borrow proper ones during games.” Vidya Sagar currently provides wheelchairs for students during competitions and training in Chennai. However, students from other districts are left to use the less comfortable wheelchairs provided by the government. “As Boccia continues to grow as a sport, the state currently lacks proper infrastructure, particularly dedicated facilities for Boccia. The game requires a wooden-floored court, but such facilities are not available here. At present, training for these kids takes place at Vidya Sagar School in Chennai, but the school also lacks a wooden-floored court,” said Sathish.
So far, training, tournament participation, transportation, and accommodation have been taken care by Ektha Trust free of cost. But this sport is a costly affair. The Boccia ball ranges from `20,000 to `50,000, and the ramp is priced between `1 lakh and `2.5 lakh. “Since it is expensive, we don’t have enough kits. Currently, for training purposes in Chennai, only five are available and a few were donated to schools in districts like Salem and Coimbatore. We need the government to come forward and boost the game to grow,” urged Sathish.
“Boccia is a sport that requires the support of parents or guardians,” said Sathish. “We encourage families to help these children pursue success in the sport. In addition, they need proper accessibility for transportation, adequate training, and appropriate accommodation. While Chennai has made progress with the introduction of low-floor buses for disability access, there is still a long way to go in ensuring full accessibility.”