Portable bocce courts setting students up for success in Taiwan

​It’s the Year of the Tiger, and students at a special education school in Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) have been developing cat-like reflexes through bocce ball.

Since the end of 2021, National Miaoli Special Education School has been using portable Packabocce courts from Packaworld to run a school-based program that encourages students to be active, work as a team and develop important social skills in an engaging and fun way.

Yuchun Hung, a teacher at the school, is a big fan of bocce’s ability to create positive educational outcomes.

“Compared to other physical activities, bocce is easier to play,” she says. “It’s a very common sport in special schools in Taiwan.”

National Miaoli Special Education School has around 100 students, at least 70 of whom play bocce in the school’s physical education and gym class. Only a small number of students with severe intellectual or physical disabilities are unable to participate in the bocce program, and the high-quality inflatable courts allow matches to be set up anywhere, indoors or out.

Ms Hung says the majority of students aren’t training for any special event, “just for fun or competition between classes and schools”, but the matches are contributing to their ongoing physical and mental development.

Bocce ball is one of the most played sports in the Special Olympics and is well known among special education schools in Taiwan. While it isn’t yet widely played in Taiwanese public schools, Ms Hung believes it can offer many benefits, whether for unified sports competitions between people with and without intellectual disabilities, or as an inclusive sport that can be enjoyed by people of all abilities. 

National Miaoli Special Education School’s bocce program is not currently run under the Special Olympics banner, but the school does have a number of students who are Special Olympics athletes, including some who will be going to the 2023 Special Olympics in Berlin to represent the Chinese Taipei team in disciplines such as bocce, badminton, cycling, roller skating and tennis.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts says its humbling to see portable Packabocce courts making a difference to the lives of students with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan.

“There is growing awareness of the value of bocce ball, and inclusive sports in general, around the world,” he says. 

“It’s fantastic to see Packaworld products being used at schools such as National Miaoli Special School for positive educational outcomes – and fun, of course!”

Video: Portable bocce courts at Miaoli Special Education School in Taiwan

>> Want more information about our portable bocce courts? Visit our Packabocce product page.