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The Paralympic sport of goalball is on the rise in Hong Kong, spurred on by a passionate group of organisers and innovative portable goalball goals that allow coaches and organisers to run matches and ‘have a go’ sessions anywhere.

The new goals, provided by Packaworld, helped give more than a thousand people a taste of the sport at Hong Kong Paralympic Day in December. The event, held at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, was a chance to increase awareness of Paralympic sports as the city prepares to co-host China’s 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities at the end of this year.

China Hong Kong Goalball Association CEO Louis Hou said working in partnership with China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee to let people sample the sport with the Goalball Packagoals was a great success.

Bigger, better and more ballsy than ever – bocce looks set to continue its meteoric rise in 2024.

The social and highly accessible sport has picked up where it left off before Covid and is now being played by more people and in entirely new locations.

From more unified sport on portable courts in US schools to bocce broadcasts and Olympic aspirations, we’ve taken a look at where bocce is headed this year.

Read our latest feature article exploring how far bocce has come, what the major trends are for the year ahead and where the game might be headed.

Bocce is going places.

A school-based physical education programme in Hong Kong is using world-first inflatable goalball goals from New Zealand to bring the Paralympic sport of goalball to children with physical or intellectual disabilities.

The Jockey Club ‘Sports Without Limits” youth empowerment programme aims to increase opportunities for disabled children and young people to participate in sport.

​Set up by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the programme is part of a physical education and research initiative seeking to improve student outcomes by growing understanding of the links between physical activity, mental health and physical and cognitive development.

Packaworld has bolstered its East Asia team with the appointment of Alfred Xie as sales manager for the region.

Mr Xie has worked in the sports industry for the past five years and brings strong experience in sales, marketing and product development.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said the appointment would improve Packaworld’s ability to bring portable sporting solutions to customers in China and across all of East Asia.

"Demand for our portable sports solutions is growing rapidly in Asia so its fantastic to have Alfred on board. Our Packabocce courts are proving particularly popular and are now used in bars, on cruise ships and by many Special Olympics clubs as part of their bocce ball programmes."

​Mr Xie is based in Shanghai and is a fluent Chinese speaker. Mr Roberts said his communication skills and “can do” attitude would ensure Packaworld continued to provide exceptional service to East Asian customers.

A partnership between Special Olympics Hong Kong and one of East Asia’s leading insurance companies is bringing bocce ball to Hong Kong schools using a revolutionary portable bocce court.

The recreational-sized Packabocce courts being used feature an easy-to-transport inflatable and compact 30-foot by 8-foot design. They made their first Hong Kong school appearance on 15 November when students with and without intellectual disabilities at Jockey Club Sarah Roe School took part in a unified bocce event. The school is attended by 70 students with special needs, aged from 5-19 years.

The bocce event was run by Special Olympics Hong Kong and supported by staff from the insurance company, which sponsors the Special Olympics Unified Schools and Athlete Leadership programmes. The event aimed to introduce bocce ball and the Special Olympics programme to children at the school.