Bocce courts featuring a revolutionary inflatable design were centre stage at the USA’s largest Special Olympics state games in Florida over the weekend.

Developed by Packaworld International, the inflatable Packabocce courts feature a lightweight but highly durable design that makes them far more portable than traditional bocce ball courts made out of wood or stone.

More than 5,000 athletes, coaches, volunteers and family members took part in the Special Olympics Florida State Summer Games, hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World, Orlando.

Newly-designed portable goalball goals could inspire blind athletes and help the sport of goalball to grow across the United Kingdom thanks to a trial supported by Goalball UK.

The national governing body for goalball has been using the lightweight nine-metre-wide goals produced by Packaworld International at South Yorkshire Goalball Club to help players build skills and offer a real-game experience.

Goalball Packagoals inflate to nine metres wide, spanning the full width of the playing court, but deflate for transportation and storage.

The nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines may be home to just 100,000 people, but that isn’t stopping it from sending a bocce team to the United Arab Emirates to compete at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi.

In 2015, the tiny Caribbean nation returned to the World Summer Games in Los Angeles after a 10-year absence to win silver in the sport of bocce. This time, they are out for gold with the support of portable bocce courts from Packaworld International.

Special Olympics Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has purchased competition and recreation-sized ‘Packabocce’ courts to aid their bocce team’s training efforts for the World Summer Games and help them increase participation in the sport of bocce across the nation’s nine inhabited islands.

​A unique inflatable goal is travelling New Zealand with Blind Sport New Zealand as part of the ACC Paralympics New Zealand Open Days, showcasing the exciting blind sport of goalball in a way that wasn’t possible before.

Goalball is a sport in which teams of three players try to roll or bounce a 1.25kg ball with bells inside across an indoor court and into a nine-metre-wide goal. Opposing players try to block the ball from entering their net by diving. Blind and sighted players all wear blackout visors to create an equal playing field, relying on sound to identify where the ball is.

​​Blind Sport New Zealand National Manager Dan Shepherd said while goalball is a major Paralympic sport, growing participation has been tricky due to bulky equipment – an issue resolved with the advent of inflatable, portable Goalball Packagoals from New Zealand company Packaworld International.

Imagine playing water polo in a remote patch of ocean 20 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia or enjoying a major beach water polo tournament on the Sydney shoreline. This dream will become reality this summer thanks to Australian sporting pioneers using specially made water polo playing fields that float on the ocean’s surface.

​Malus Island in the Dampier Archipelago will be the setting for the Western Australian event, which will see dozens of private vessels anchor for a unique Australia Day tournament. Inflatable water polo goals and custom-made water polo playing fields from Packaworld International will be used to create a one-of-a-kind experience for everyone taking part.

Sports enthusiasts in several Asian countries will now be able to buy a range of unique sports equipment from New Zealand company Packaworld International, thanks to an agreement with one of China’s leading sports equipment suppliers, AirGoal Sports.

Following several years of collaboration, Packaworld and AirGoal Sports have entered a distribution agreement, which extends Packaworld’s distribution network to east Asian countries, including China.

Packaworld CEO Peter Roberts said the agreement was a significant milestone in Packaworld’s history and a huge step towards achieving the company’s vision of bringing the joy of sport to more people around the world.

The world’s first blind rugby international was played at QBE Stadium in Auckland on 6 July, featuring another world-first: truly portable full-size rugby posts.

Played between the Blind Lions and New Zealand Blind Rugby in the leadup to the British and Irish Lions tour finale at Eden Park, the match finished 31-0 as glimpses of brilliance from the New Zealanders were overpowered by the Blind Lions’ experience and fitness.

Inflatable ‘Rugby Packaposts’ meet World Rugby size guidelines, and were produced by New Zealand sporting products supplier Packaworld International to overcome challenges posed by conventional rugby posts, which are usually made of wood, steel or aluminium.

Innovative inflatable sports courts produced by Packaworld International will take the field at the Latin American Special Olympics Games in Panama this April, along with more than 800 athletes from 21 countries.

The courts provide the arenas for the sport of bocce, an ancient Italian sport similar to pétanque and lawn bowls, to be contested by 110 athletes from 13 countries at the event.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said competition bocce courts were 60 feet long and 12 feet wide, and were traditionally built into venues or composed of bulky materials.

Over 600 players and more than 3,000 fans had a new experience at one of the USA’s largest junior rugby tournaments, thanks to one of a kind portable Junior Rugby Packaposts designed by New Zealand company Packaworld International.

The Rhinos Rugby Stomp was hosted by Rhinos Rugby Club on Sunday 29 January at Great Park in the city of Irvine, California. The tournament featured Under 14 age group teams from nine clubs across California.

Junior rugby is often played without posts, particularly in the US, where many sports fields are set up for other sports.

Cruise ships operated by Carnival Cruise Line have added bocce to their list of on-board activities, thanks to an inflatable court developed by New Zealand company Packaworld.

Joey Colby-Begovich, Manager of Entertainment Experience for Carnival Cruise Line, said Carnival was excited to introduce bocce on 18 ships across its fleet after successful trials on-board Carnival Pride and Carnival Glory. The trials were run by the American Bocce Company, which is leading a revitalisation of the sport across the USA.

"Adding a sport like bocce gives our guests yet another fun activity to enjoy,” Mr Colby-Begovich said. “We are really excited to offer bocce across our fleet. Bocce is a fantastic ice-breaker and can be enjoyed by guests of all ages. The response from our guests has been wonderful.”

An innovative inflatable bocce court produced by New Zealand company Packaworld International has the potential to revolutionise the global sport of bocce.

Chair of the Special Olympics Bocce Sports Resource Team Mike Ryan said inflatable ‘Packabocce’ courts have been “a revelation” for the sport since their initial production. As Special Olympics New Zealand Manager of Sports Operations, he had seen bocce prosper since their introduction.

As the courts are 60 feet long and 12 feet wide, and were previously composed of wood or Plexiglas, their storage and transport posed significant issues for the uptake of the traditional Italian sport in countries without established facilities.

Friday's launch of New Zealand Blind Football in Auckland was the first event of its kind internationally to use inflatable advertising hoardings and goals.

These rigid inflatable products, Packasign and Packagoal, are produced by New Zealand sporting products supplier Packaworld as safe, portable alternatives to conventional goals and advertising hoardings composed from wood and steel.

Blind football is played in an enclosed arena, with a ball that emits an audible noise so blindfolded low-vision footballers can locate it. 

Packaworld International has been named a finalist in the 2016 American Chamber of Commerce – DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards.

American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand Executive Director Mike Hearn said Packaworld had reached the finals on the strength of its business relationships, innovative products, and effective strategies to reach out to growth markets in the United States.

“Packaworld is a contender for this year’s award thanks to its innovative products and strong relationships. The impressive thing here is how successful links have been created in a short time of operation. This signifies a promising future for Packaworld products in the USA.”

A schoolboy-inspired donation of Kiwi sports equipment to the remote Koroinasau District School near Sigatoka in Fiji will open up a world of sporting opportunities for local children.

The gift included balls for various sports, in addition to inflatable football goals and rugby posts from innovative Wellington-based sporting goods supplier Packaworld International.

Koroinasau District School Head Teacher Loata Finau said the equipment was received with festivity and song by the children and teachers of the school.

Packaworld was announced as a finalist in the Global Gold category of the 2016 Wellington Gold Awards last night.

This award recognises major business contributions from Wellington-based exporters of goods and services. Previous winners include Icebreaker (2006) and Xero (2012).

Packaworld CEO Peter Roberts said he was “blown away” by the news.

The award finalists were named at Te Wharewaka o Poneke function centre, in Wellington. A full list of finalists is available on the awards website, and features in an article in today's edition of the Dominion Post.