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.

Packaworld’s portable goalball goals were used to stage Parafed Waikato’s inaugural goalball tournament in Hamilton, New Zealand, from 23 to 24 November.

Eight mixed teams of men and women battled it out at St John’s College’s hall in a quest for goalball glory, with hometown heroes Waikato winning the Open Division and a team made up of players from multiple regions, dubbed ‘Mixed Spice’, winning the Elite Division.

Parafed Waikato Sports Development Officer Sport Cathy Wooller said goalball’s growing popularity meant there were enough competitors in Waikato this year to justify holding a first ever tournament locally.

“Goalball has definitely grown here and it was really exciting for our team to play at home," she said.

A bright idea from a bocce lover in the remote Canadian town of Killarney has transformed its community centre’s curling rink into a hot new venue for summer bocce.

The transformation has been made possible through the purchase of two of Packaworld’s portable bocce courts, which take centre stage on Tuesdays for a social league being run by the local council during curling’s off-season.

Municipality of Killarney Project Coordinator Sanket Shinde said bringing the traditional Italian sport to the area was part of the municipality’s goal of improving community wellbeing and social engagement through recreation.

Although Killarney had a population of less than 500, locals deserved the same kinds of opportunities to enjoy physical activity as people in larger localities, he said.

The Paralympic Games in Paris have the world’s sports fans enthralled with the determination, ability and will to succeed of all the amazing athletes taking part.

But while the pinnacle event for disabled sports draws the crowds, some equally exciting happenings are afoot at grassroots level, where participation numbers are on the rise.

The economic impact of parasports events in the US was $139M in 2022, a 78% increase from 2021, according to a 2023 survey by All In Sport Consulting.

This rise in economic impact and participation is being driven by a variety of factors, including increased visibility through global events, and better access to equipment and facilities that enable sport to be played by all.

The first-ever Special Olympics Caribbean Regional Bocce Tournament took place on 23-25 May, with athletes from across the archipelago throwing and rolling for glory on six portable courts provided by Packaworld.

The ground-breaking tournament was held at the Lions Centre in George Town, Cayman Islands’ capital, and welcomed teams from 16  surrounding Caribbean nations plus a US bocce squad representing Special Olympics North Carolina.

Competition Manager and Head Coach for Special Olympics Cayman Islands Nicole Thompson said the highlight of the tournament was bringing together athletes from so many neighbouring countries, making it a truly Caribbean competition.

A new aquatic sport is making a splash in Europe, supported by first-of-their-kind portable goals and fields from Packaworld to make bringing the game to new venues easy.

Water Skyball is a Hungarian invention, played in waist-deep water between teams of two.

Teams score points by throwing a ball into a goal that is divided into three sections – each worth a different number of points.

Water Skyball Federation President Zsolt Gyuris said the sport was created by the Fontanus Scientific Methodological Research and Educational Centre in 2013 and was growing in popularity thanks to its unique mix of strategy, movement and throwing accuracy.