Hundreds more American Special Olympics athletes will soon be bowling their way to bocce bliss following a decision by Special Olympics Florida to purchase 28 new portable playing courts to help grow the game across the state.

Special Olympics Florida Vice President – Operations Akin Joseph said the courts, which arrived last month, had been impressive at their debut at the Area 8 Summer Games in Tampa.

Inflatable ‘Packabocce’ courts, first developed in 2013 by Packaworld International, feature a lightweight but highly durable design that makes them far more portable than traditional bocce courts made out of wood or stone.

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.

Full-size inflatable rugby ‘Packaposts’ from Packaworld International stole the show at the USA Rugby National Development Summit, drawing attention from conference delegates and many top US coaches, including newly appointed USA Eagles Head Coach Gary Gold.

The Summit was held in Denver, Colorado from 19-21 January, with Packaworld CEO Peter Roberts attending to discuss the development of rugby in the USA and introduce the unique portable rugby posts to delegates.

“Rugby is growing quickly across the USA. But it’s a tricky sport to deliver to new regions and communities due to a lack of suitable arenas where people can play,” Mr Roberts said.

​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.

The sport of bocce appeared alongside superstars such as The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers and Jay-Z at the Austin City Limits Music Festival last month.

The annual music festival in Austin, Texas is a celebration of music over two consecutive weekends, and draws a crowd of nearly 500,000 music lovers each year. The inclusion of bocce outside the wine lounge and inside the artists’ area provided hundreds of festival-goers and musicians with the opportunity to enjoy a game of bocce between acts.

​“The courts added a whole new dimension to the festival,” said Peter Norris, the Austin Territory Manager for the American Bocce Company.

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.

The sun was shining in Lower Hutt where over 140 people took part in the annual Tui Hurricanes Alumni golf tournament, held at Shandon Golf Course on 21 March.
 
Rugby greats and current stars including Christian Cullen, Cory Jane, Beauden Barrett, Brad Shields and Dane Coles took part in the event, which featured a sneak preview of Packaworld’s newest innovation – the world’s first full size, truly portable rugby post.

The Rugby Packapost was on display in front of the 18th hole, a par 3 hole which featured a ‘nearest the pin competition’, with the added challenge for players to fire tee shots through the uprights.

Hurricanes Alumni Board Member, and former Hurricane and Mike Russell says the idea for portable full-sized rugby posts that can be set up in minutes is ‘pretty cool’.
 
“I’m impressed someone has been able to create a full-size rugby post that you can transport around so easily,” Mr Russell says. “I can definitely see the potential for a product like this one to take off, especially in emerging rugby nations without established facilities.”

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.

Winter rains and falling snow spell the end of the bocce season for many American players. But in Philadephia, the arrival of portable Packabocce courts, produced by sporting goods supplier Packaworld, has provided local players with an easy way to bring the game indoors over the colder months.

All-American Liberty Leagues co-founders Sam Holloschutz and Kyle Fernley say there have been “rave reviews” after three weeks of their first eight-week indoor season, hosted at Urban Saloon in the neighbourhood of Fairmount.

Founded in June 2016 during the American summer, the leagues began at Triangle Park along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, beginning with 90 players in the first season and expanding to two different league nights in the fall.

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.

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.”

Packaposts were on show at a Hurricanes Alumni Dinner at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium last night in the lead-up to the weekend’s test match between the All Blacks and Wales.

Around 400 rugby supporters attended the dinner, which featured speeches from All Blacks Coach Steve Hansen and Wales Coach Warren Gatland OBE, while Scotty Stevenson of Sky Sports ran the question and answer session.

Packaworld supported the event, providing inflatable rugby Packaposts for the event’s auction, with proceeds donated to a new Hurricanes Alumni Fund to support the development of Hurricanes Rugby, and Alumni members facing hardship.

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.

A Wellington businessman has single-handedly steered his innovative portable products company to international success.

Packaworld​, a provider of blow-up sporting goods, has recently secured a contract with five ships operated by P&O Cruises, which will use specially designed inflatable bocce courts on board.

Bocce is similar to lawn bowls and usually played on a sizeable court.
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The traditional bulky wooden courts had posed a significant barrier to offering the Italian sport on cruise ships or in shared spaces in the past.

Packaworld chief executive Peter Roberts said the inflatable, Packabocce courts could be used inside or outdoors, and can be set up and packed away in minutes.