
CHENNAI: Four individuals from Tamil Nadu won accolades at the 9th Boccia National Championship 2024-25, held by the Boccia Sports Federation of India in Visakhapatnam from January 8 to 15. R Lakshmi Prabha secured gold in the BC-2 female category.
Boccia, a Paralympic precision ball game, is designed for individuals with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injuries. The game uses 13 balls – six red, six blue, and one white target ball, called the jack. Players aim to throw their balls as close to the jack as possible, with the winner determined by the proximity of their balls to the target.
Eight players from Tamil Nadu participated, with four winning medals. Anandhi from Salem won silver in the BC-1 female category, while Lakshmi took gold in the BC-2 female category, and K Sabana Barveen secured silver in the same category. Anushya M won bronze in the BC-3 female category. In the mixed BC-1 and BC-2 team event, Lakshmi, Anandhi, and Vinoth Kumar won silver medals.
Sathish Kumar from Ektha Trust, which trains the Tamil Nadu players, noted that participation was lower this year, likely due to the games coinciding with the festival season. He emphasised the need for state government support to promote Boccia, as international participation costs up to Rs 3 lakh per player. Additionally, equipment such as balls and ramps is expensive, costing Rs 20,000 and Rs 2.5 lakh respectively.
Lakshmi, who has been playing Boccia for six years, said, “Ektha has supported us nationally. We hope the Tamil Nadu government recognises Boccia and provides funding to help us compete internationally.”