news blog

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.

Bocce is gaining traction across Northern California thanks to a surge of participation in Special Olympics community programs – and the support of portable Packabocce courts that are making it easier to bring the sport to athletes.

While school-based unified sports are leading the charge in many US states, Northern California’s bocce boom is being driven by community programs – providing opportunities for people to participate in sport outside of school and during adulthood.

Special Olympics Northern California Sports Manager Mikey Parissenti says participation in the organization’s program has grown by 5-7% over the past year, with bocce’s accessibility playing a key role in that growth.

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."

The 2025 Interscholastic Unified Sports Indoor Bocce State Tournament showcased the momentum of Maryland's unified bocce movement, with 32 teams battling for state honors on 12 portable Packabocce courts at Hagerstown Community College.

Held on 11 March, the tournament was evidence of the continuing growth of unified bocce in Maryland schools, where participation has increased by 23% in the past year – from 1,471 players in the 2023-2024 season to 1,812 players in 2024-2025.

Special Olympics Maryland Senior Director of High School Unified Sports Zachary Cintron says Packaworld’s high-quality inflatable courts have helped the sport grow in schools across the American state.

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.

Dozens of Central and South American bocce players rolled for glory on portable Packabocce courts during the Special Olympics Latin America Games Asunción 2024.

The games, hosted in Paraguay from 4-12 October, brought together more than 1,000 athletes under the banner of inclusion to compete across more than 20 different sports.

The bocce competition was hosted at the velodrome at Olympic Park’s in Paraguay’s capital Asunción, with eight portable Packabocce courts from Packaworld delivering world-class playing conditions for the athletes taking part.

Paraguayan Olympic Committee Sports Equipment Coordinator Ramón Santacruz said setting up the courts was “user-friendly” for organisers and volunteers and the playing conditions had been “excellent” for athletes.

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.