Speaking after the Cataño round of the national tournament, held in the Court La Puntilla de Cataño at the end of March, Municipality of Cataño Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo emphasized the inclusive values the municipality held.

“In Cataño, inclusion is not just a statement – it is a constant practice. This tournament reflects the work we are doing to create real opportunities where all citizens can participate, grow, and showcase their talents.”

The tournament event included 11 divisions across multiple skill levels, including a new a unified exhibition category, where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities competed together – in many cases parents playing alongside their children.

The Adapted Sport Carnival in Caguas was organized by Special Olympics Puerto Rico, the Department of Education’s Adapted Physical Education Program, the Puerto Rico Bocce Federation, and the Municipality of Caguas.

It was hosted at Roger Mendoza Coliseum and featured hands-on workshops as well as unified bocce matches between students with and without intellectual disabilities from the Caguas educational region.

Special Olympics Puerto Rico bocce co-ordinator and event co-organizer Egidio Fantauzzi said the initiative was driven by a desire among all the organizing organizations to promote the sport among students.

He said bocce ball was one of the most appealing sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rican representatives often returned from international Special Olympics events with medals.

Packaworld chief executive Peter Roberts said he was pleased to see the benefits of portable Packabocce courts being realized in Puerto Rico and hoped to see participation continuing to rise.

“Everyone deserves the chance to experience the joy of sport and I’m delighted to see the way bocce organizers across Puerto Rico are embracing portable courts to bring the game to more people."

Some participants at the bocce events used wheelchairs, and Roberts said it was rewarding to see photos of their smiles as they entered and exited the new portable courts through wheelchair access gates specially engineered into their designs.

The next round of its Special Olympics National Bocce Tournament is coming up in San Juan on 2 May, as athletes continue their build up for the Special Olympics Puerto Rico National Games in Ponce in October.

Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Puerto Rico.

When the Cairns Water Polo Club decided to showcase their sport somewhere memorable in 2019, they didn't mess around, hosting the first-ever exhibition match at Australia’s epic Great Barrier Reef featuring members of the Australian women's water polo team.

More than 250 spectators boarded a catamaran and travelled 1.5 hours to watch the match, surrounded by spectacular marine life 47km offshore in a place that has been described as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

The match was played using inflatable Packaworld water polo fields and goals that float on the water in a section of the UNESCO World Heritage Site where special permission was granted and no trace would be left.

A bit of rolling comes with the territory on a cruise ship, but P&O decided to up the ante and provide Packaworld’s bocce ball courts to five of its fleet so bocce ball addicts could get their fix even while sailing the high seas.

The portable courts set up and pack away in minutes, solving the problem of not having large amounts of space to spare on deck. The courts were a big hit with passengers, according to P&O Cruises Head of Entertainment Brett Annable.

“We’re always looking to create new experiences for our guests, so the bocce courts are great as they’ve given us a way to take a new game to sea.”

Goalball is typically played indoors on gymnasium floors, so when Germany’s Association for Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports decided to break with tradition and take the Paralympic sport to the beach in 2021, it raised a few eyebrows – in a positive way.

Packaworld’s portable Packagoals allowed the organisation to hold matches on beaches and in other outdoor locations, where the public could witness the Paralympic sport in action and get a feel for it.

Youth Goalball Coach Heiko Prinz said the Packagoals had proved popular.

“The reaction of the young players and untrained people who tested goalball was very good.”

Central Europe's largest lake became a public playground for the emerging sport of water skyball in summer 2025, when two sets of inflatable Water Skyball Packagoals and fields were set up on Hungary’s Alsoors Beach for anyone to use free of charge.

An estimated 5,000 people tried the sport throughout the summer, enticed by the lure of a new game to try and a perfect way to cool off.

Water Skyball Federation Vice President Olga Augusztin said the experiment was a massive success.

“The field was there for everyone, so people came, played water skyball or just practised shooting at the goals. It was used all day because people were hungry to play something in the water.”

The world's first blind rugby international match in 2017 faced a unique problem: how do you set up the 70m x 50m field required, when conventional rugby posts can't easily be moved and most pitches don't have posts positioned for a blind rugby field?

To the rescue came another world first – inflatable Rugby Packaposts – the world's first portable full-size rugby posts meeting World Rugby guidelines, developed specifically to support the new sport and make it possible to set up proper playing conditions anywhere.

On the day, while the Blind Lions outclassed New Zealand Blind Rugby with an epic 31-0 win, the game of blind rugby itself was also a winner – by proving that it had enough substance to be played at international level.

Sure, the place of play might not be unusual, but it’s definitely an unusual game being played on a unique occasion – so we’re running with it!

Blind Sport New Zealand National Manager and member of the New Zealand Blind Rugby squad Dan Shepherd said the posts had “revolutionised the game”.

“With just one set of posts, we can bring the game to anywhere in the country with minimal setup cost.”

Packaworld’s portable products turn the impossible into the possible by allowing people to bring the game to places no-one has thought about before – from the unusual and spectacular to your humble local park.

“We chose Packaworld’s portable courts because they’re easy to set up, high quality, and perfect for ensuring a consistent playing experience. Plus, their portability gives us flexibility in where we can host events.

“The activations aren't so much about competition, they are just about getting people involved. If our people can just take a court around in one bag to those activations it just makes things easier.”

King said the bocce ball scene is growing steadily in Western Australia, with expansion coming mainly from its Special Olympics community programs, but also local schools.

“We're starting to see more interest in schools, with some introducing bocce as part of their inclusive sports offerings.”

Special Olympics Western Australia has also partnered with Perth's substantial Italian community to host bocce ball activations at events they’ve hosted. King said she is looking forward to a future activation at the Perth Italian Festival in Langley Park in April 2026, which will be staged with Packabocce courts.

She said it’s no surprise that bocce ball has become a cornerstone of Special Olympics Western Australia's program.

“Bocce is popular because it’s accessible, social, and adaptable for athletes of all abilities. It encourages teamwork and skill development in a fun, supportive environment.

“Bocce lends itself to unified sport. Having unified sport and getting people with and without intellectual disabilities on court together really starts to shift the perspective of society.”

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said it was fantastic to see Special Olympics Western Australia using Packabocce courts to grow unified bocce programs in the state.

“What Special Olympics WA has achieved shows what's possible when you remove the barriers that prevent play – that’s what our portable courts do. Perth is a sprawling city and to grow bocce there you need equipment that is easy to transport.”

Building on the success of its bocce ball program, Special Olympics Western Australia intends to expand its campaign to include other unified sports as well as keeping its bocce ball program rolling, King said.

“We’re optimistic participation will continue to grow because of increased awareness, the sport’s accessibility, and ongoing efforts to promote it through schools and community programs.

“We want to keep building on the momentum and make bocce even more inclusive and widespread.”

With portable courts in their bags and a proven strategy for community engagement, Special Olympics Western Australia is well-positioned to continue expanding bocce ball's reach, activation by activation, playing its part in boosting the worldwide bocce ball buzz.

Here's where the confusion starts: ‘boules’ isn't actually a specific game, it’s just simply the French plural for ‘balls’ which represents the collective name for an entire family of games that involve throwing or rolling balls toward a target.

‘Boules’ is to ball games what ‘racket sports’ is to tennis and badminton. Both pétanque and bocce ball belong to the boules family, along with lawn bowls, boule lyonnaise and several other variations played around the world.

However, in France, people often use the word ‘boules’ to refer specifically to pétanque, which is why you might hear the terms used interchangeably – this casual usage has spread internationally. The key thing to remember is that ‘boules’ is a generic term and can refer to any sport falling under its umbrella, while pétanque and bocce ball (and their variants) are specific games within this category.

Pétanque is a specific variation of French ball-throwing games that was created in the town of La Ciotat in 1910, requiring players to keep both feet inside a circle when throwing with no run up or stepping allowed.

The name of the game was derived from the French expression ‘pieds tanqués’ or ‘feet fixed’ as a nod to its origin story. Pétanque was created by the friend of a keen player of boule lyonnaise – the most popular form of boules in France at the time – who suffered from rheumatism to the extent that he could no longer run. The friend’s kind accommodation not only allowed him to keep playing, but inadvertently created a popular new sport.

Pétanque is played by two teams who throw metal balls to target a small ball called the ‘cochonnet’ (literally ‘piglet’). The throw is made with a distinctive backhand motion, palm facing down, often with a flick of the wrist that can lob the ball high into the air to approach its target.

When all balls have been thrown, the team with the ball closest to the cochonnet is the winner and points are awarded for each of their balls which are closer to it than the closest ball of the other team – up to a maximum of 13 points.
Pétanque courts are typically 13’ by 50’, with balls about three inches in diameter distinguished by different types of grooves – one for each team.

The game doesn't require a dedicated court and can be played almost anywhere: on gravel courtyards, sandy areas or hard-packed dirt, with formal courts sometimes marked out with string strung between nails driven into the ground. Any undulations or imperfections of the ground form part of the challenge of the game.

Lawn bowls (or simply ‘bowls’) is the British variant of the boules family, with an eccentric feature that sets it apart from its European cousins – the balls aren't quite round.

They might look spherical at first glance, but lawn bowls are subtly asymmetrical to create a weight ‘bias’, making the bowl travel in a curved path.

The bias means players don't aim directly at the target ball (called the jack or kitty). Instead they aim off to one side, rolling the ball underarm with a smooth delivery motion, judging the curve so the bowl finishes at the desired spot.

Different strategic shots are used according to the state of play to either approach the jack, block opponents’ shots or knock other balls from their position. Lofting the ball in the air is frowned upon and not permitted.

Lawn bowls are larger than both pétanque and bocce balls – ranging from just under to exactly five inches in diameter and made of hard plastic – and are rolled to play the game on well-manicured grass, synthetic turf, or carpet. Players can compete in singles, pairs, triples, or fours formats, which affect how many points are required to win a game – typically 21 for singles – with points attributed in a similar way to pétanque.  

Bowls is played on a playing area known as ‘rinks’ and one bowling green usually contains multiple rinks alongside each other, with a ditch around the green’s perimeter to contain errant bowls. With official rinks just over 131-feet long and a bowling green typically containing six rinks, a dedicated space is required to host the game.

Bocce ball is the distant Italian cousin of pétanque and lawn bowls, sharing ancestry stretching back to ancient Rome and maybe even through the mists of time to ancient Egypt.

While pétanque is a throwing game, bocce ball is fundamentally a rolling game although throwing techniques can be used tactically, such as a ‘volo’ lob throw.

Before releasing the ball, players can step unrestrictedly to gain momentum before releasing the ball, in a similar way to bowling or curling. The ball is thrown underarm with the palm facing up, allowing it to roll smoothly off the fingers onto the court surface.

Unlike pétanque, in competitive play players must declare their shot type before throwing, whether a ‘punto’ precision roll, a ‘raffa’ throw that bounces then rolls to displace other balls, or a ‘volo’.

Scoring in bocce ball is similar to pétanque, with one point being awarded for each ball that sits closer to the pallino or jack – the equivalent of the cochonnet. Any ball that ends up touching the pallino when the game finishes attracts two points, however. To win a team must score either 11 or 12 points and win by at least two points.

Bocce balls are substantially larger than their pétanque cousins at just over four inches in diameter. Historically made of wood, modern bocce balls offer precise weight distribution and are usually made of solid plastic or resin, with different teams’ balls differentiated by bright colors or patterns.

Bocce ball requires a smoother, flatter playing surface than pétanque because the balls need to roll freely. Grass, sand, clay, concrete, artificial turf, hard flooring, concrete, carpet and crushed oyster shell are all suitable options – with some requiring more maintenance than others to be kept in an appropriate condition.

A regulation bocce ball court is substantially longer than a pétanque court at 12’ by 60’, or larger for some competitions, and importantly, features raised sideboards which prevent balls from rolling out of bounds.

The longer court, larger balls and rolling techniques of bocce ball create different strategic possibilities than pétanque. Players can use the sideboards for strategic banking shots off the sides to navigate around opponents' blocking balls and gain positional advantages – adding an extra tactical dimension similar to pool or billiards.

While bocce ball traditionally requires permanent fixed courts, portable courts like Packaworld's inflatable Packabocce courts have revolutionized accessibility with their ability to transform any flat surface into a bocce ball court in minutes. This has brought the game to schools, community programs, bars, vineyards, curling rinks, festivals and continuing care retirement communities across the globe where permanent courts are not practical.

Editors note: There’s also boccia, which is different again, but that’s another story! Read our separate bocce vs boccia guide about the differences between those sports to take your understanding to the next level.

Whether you're throwing metal boules in a French village square, rolling bocce balls on a portable court in Texas, or calculating a curve on a British bowling green, pétanque, bocce ball and lawn bowl’s appeal lies in their accessibility and ability to bring people of all ages and abilities together to enjoy the thrill and strategy of sport.

Bocce ball has been riding an international wave of popularity of late and has become a mainstay of the Special Olympics, while pétanque has its own devoted following – centered in France.

So next time you see people wrangling balls strategically to close in on a target, you'll know the difference. And whether you choose to follow pétanque's throwing precision or bocce ball's rolling accuracy, you'll be joining a global community that's been part of a family of similar games for generations.

The exact origins of bocce ball are lost in the mists of time. According to bocce ball legend, an Egyptian tomb painting from around 5200 BC discovered by archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie shows two boys playing with what appears to be stone balls – although details of the image are hard to verify.

Another part of bocce ball folklore is that by around 600 BC, the Greeks were playing formalised ball-throwing games, which the Romans borrowed among other cultural treasures – such as classical theatre and various deities.

The Romans may have transformed the games they appropriated into something resembling the bocce ball we know and love today. It is rumoured that during the Punic Wars against Carthage, from 264 to 146 BC, Roman soldiers played a form of bocce ball between battles, perhaps combining stress relief with strategic thinking practice.

Online bocce ball discussion credits Emperor Augustus as an early enthusiast of the nascent game, but it seems certain that the winds of trade and migration spread Italian culture throughout Europe, Britain and as far and wide as what we now call the Middle East.

Word on the historic bocce ball court is that Roman soldiers brought coconut shells back from Africa as a lighter and more uniform option to replace polished stones, as bocce ball as it was played at the time continued to evolve.

As old-school bocce ball and its variants spread through medieval Europe, its popularity apparently concerned rulers who feared the game interfered with military training and therefore state security, with Kings Carlos IV and V of Spain prohibiting the game entirely.

For the same reason England's Henry VIII reportedly levied a massive £100 fee on private bowling greens in 1511, ensuring only wealthy people had the chance to play – securing himself the luxury of indulging his great passion for the game.

Bocce ball lore states that The Republic of Venice condemned the game in 1576, with violators subject to fines and imprisonment, as well as the Catholic Church declaring it a gambling device and prohibiting its priests from playing.

Despite all these attempts at suppression, bocce ball managed to survive. It seems the game was simply too popular and deeply embedded in the culture of the times to be stamped out.

Games similar to modern-day bocce ball have attracted a range of illustrious enthusiasts including Renaissance geniuses Galileo Galilei and Leonardo da Vinci, the Greek founder of modern medicine Hippocrates, and the venerable last Tudor monarch Queen Elizabeth I.

Before setting out from the English port of Plymouth in 1588 to tackle the fearsome Spanish Armada after they were sighted, legendary explorer Sir Francis Drake is alleged to have insisted on finishing his game of bowls, saying something like “First we finish the game, then we’ll deal with the Armada!”.

George Washington, the first president of the United States, built a bowls court at his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia in 1780, joining an impressive list of leaders with a penchant for the game.

As recently as 2024, Pope John Francis celebrated the virtues of bocce. He praised it as a sport for ‘normal people’, noting: “It is a sport that I associate with a certain type of sociality, of social friendship … of passing the time in company, a healthy and calm entertainment”.

Nineteenth-century Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi, a key figure in the unification of Italy, was said to have popularised the version of bocce ball that is played today. Following a surge in popularity, the first Bocce Olympiad was held in Athens in 1896, and from 1947 a Bocce World Championships has been held almost every year since.

Fast forward to today and bocce ball has an estimated 25 million players in the United States alone, as it continues to ride a global wave of enthusiasm. The game has become a mainstay of Special Olympics programs across the globe, offering an accessible, strategic sport that allows people of all abilities to share the joy of sport together.

The 21st century has brought about one of the biggest revolutions in the world of bocce ball: portable, inflatable Packabocce courts that unleash the potential for a game on just about any flat surface in minutes. This innovation is levelling the playing field – quite literally – bringing bocce ball to communities and players who don’t have access to permanent facilities.

The evolution from simple stones to innovative portable courts hasn't changed the essential magic of bocce ball – it's simply made that magic accessible to more people in more places and allowed what may be the mother of all games to roll on into new eras.

He said the artificial turf playing surface at Ngā Puna Wai Sports was “a lot faster” than the carpet he often trained on in Manawatū, but he was pleased he and his teammates had been able to adapt quickly.

Special Olympics New Zealand Bocce Technical Director Carol Egan said the event had gone smoothly, commenting that it took just 90 minutes to prepare a professional-level bocce ball arena using the portable bocce ball courts.

“The courts themselves are almost self-explanatory … when they are unpacked and out of the bags it’s basically just a case of inflate, position, Velcro strap, Bob’s your uncle.”

Egan, who was also the head referee for the bocce ball competition, said the Packabocce courts had revolutionised access to the sport and had become essential infrastructure for the New Zealand bocce ball scene.

“Pretty much every club in New Zealand now has access to a Packaworld court.”

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said seeing the portable courts enable elite competition at New Zealand's premier Special Olympics event reinforced the company's mission to make sport available to anyone.

“When we designed our Packabocce courts we wanted to remove the barriers that stop people from playing bocce – whether cost, space, or complexity.

“Seeing these courts support national-level competition one day and grassroots club training the next shows that quality and accessibility don't have to be trade-offs.”

The Summer Games bocce competition was contested by dozens of New Zealand’s best Special Olympics athletes and unified partners, across singles, doubles and unified pairs categories. Alongside bocce ball, athletes competed in athletics, basketball, equestrian, football, golf, indoor bowls, powerlifting, swimming and tenpin bowling.

One trend that stood out at this year’s Summer Games was the increase in unified sports participation. Egan said interest in the unified program – where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities compete together on the same team – was “about 70 percent greater than it was for Hamilton,” where the last Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games were held in 2022.

Special Olympics New Zealand Chief Executive Fran Scholey said the Games played a vital role in celebrating inclusion and raising awareness of the important work Special Olympics does.

“Every National Summer Games is a moment to celebrate our athletes, but it's also a reminder of the work we do every day across Aotearoa. When people cheer, volunteer, or donate, they're helping us continue this mahi long after the Games end.

“Community support enables us to reach more athletes, strengthen our clubs, and ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate, belong, and be part of something truly special.”