news blog

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.

Bucharest hosted Romania’s inaugural water skyball tournament recently, with 80 competitors using Packaworld’s inflatable goals and fields to mark a significant milestone in the sport's European expansion.

The tournament, held on 15 and 16 February at the Steaua Olympics Swimming Pool, saw Romanian and other European teams taking to the water in separate adult and youth competitions.

Water Skyball Federation Vice President Olga Augusztin said Packaworld’s innovative inflatable goals were a key part of the tournament’s success.

“This was the first time we had brought the skyball goals and field on a plane – we just packed them into a few bags. It was a very simple and smooth process.”

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.

The Paralympic sport of goalball is on the rise in Hong Kong, spurred on by a passionate group of organisers and innovative portable goalball goals that allow coaches and organisers to run matches and ‘have a go’ sessions anywhere.

The new goals, provided by Packaworld, helped give more than a thousand people a taste of the sport at Hong Kong Paralympic Day in December. The event, held at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, was a chance to increase awareness of Paralympic sports as the city prepares to co-host China’s 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities at the end of this year.

China Hong Kong Goalball Association CEO Louis Hou said working in partnership with China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee to let people sample the sport with the Goalball Packagoals was a great success.