news blog

Bocce ball has become a star addition to the activity schedule at the Westminster Lakeland continuing care retirement community in Florida, after the purchase of a portable bocce court hit a sporting sweet spot with its winning blend of social connection and gentle exercise.

Bob Slavkovsky, a resident at Westminster Lakeland, said the inaugural bocce ball competition he helped organize in October drew in dozens of enthusiastic players who are now raring to keep rolling on a regular basis.

“We had a great turnout for a party to celebrate the opening of our bocce court, and we’ve set it up for a whole weekend every month in our activity center.

“People here love bocce and one individual has come up with a wonderful chart to keep score of the games.”

As bocce fever continues to spread globally, Puerto Rico and St Kitts and Nevis have been unable to resist it, with the arrival of new Packaworld portable bocce courts bolstering the sport’s boom in popularity throughout the Caribbean region.

Bocce ball athletes throughout Puerto Rico flocked to its Special Olympics National Bocce Tournament in September, hosted using the new courts at Pista Rafael Meléndez Pagán – an athletics track in the coastal area of Barceloneta.

The athletes and courts will be back in action at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza in Caguas on 11 October for the bocce ball competition of the Special Olympics Puerto Rico National Games.

Thousands of people experienced the emerging sport of water skyball at Lake Balaton in Hungary over summer, thanks to two sets of Packaworld’s water skyball goals and fields that created an aquatic-sport playground for beachgoers.

The portable Water Skyball Packagoals and fields were used at the popular Alsoors Beach during the peak summer period of late June to early September.

Water Skyball Federation Vice President Olga Augusztin said the experience was an instant hit with curious people looking for a new way to cool off and enjoy some exercise.

“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.”

Australia's all abilities hip hop Team stunned the competition at the recent ICU World Cheerleading Championships to claim gold in their first-ever attempt, supported by a secret weapon – portable line markings supplied by Packaworld to fine tune their training routines.

The 24-strong squad, made up of athletes aged from 11 to 39 with a wide range of abilities and disabilities, stole the show at the world championships over 25-28 April at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, USA.

Australian Cheer Union All Abilities Programme Lead Toni Altschwager says the result was exceptional, with the team triumphing over squads from the United States, England, Wales, Scotland and Canada.

Portable bocce courts are transforming physical education in New York City's schools, supporting an American boom in the Italian sport and opening doors for inclusion across the city's diverse communities.

Special Olympics New York Director of Unified Sports Vance Toure says bocce participation is skyrocketing, with its school programs experiencing 10 per cent growth in participation over the past year alone.

Unified bocce – where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities play together on teams on the same court – is increasingly common in schools across America, but New York’s push to bring it to middle schools, as well high schools, is novel.

"Bocce has been spreading like wildfire through schools in New York."

Navan Arch Club’s new Packaworld portable bocce court has proven to be an invaluable asset, providing adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland the opportunity to train in a high-quality playing environment that matches the conditions of Special Olympics competitions.

Navan Arch Club has more than 100 members who participate in various sports, including basketball, floorball, table tennis, bowling, and of course, their beloved bocce.

Currently, around 30 athletes at Navan Arch Club play bocce, with sessions broken down into smaller groups to maximise playing time. The arrival of the new court has sparked even greater interest, with more athletes eager to try the sport.