Boccia Bandits athletes prepare for upcoming national championship game at Hollard headquarters

Boccia Bandits athletes sharpened their skills at Hollard headquarters on March 4 for the national championship.

Coach Fatima Aziz said the club members, in Parktown, were preparing for the national game, which will be held in two weeks.

“We’re practising for the national championships which will be taking place in Cape Town on March 17 and 18. We hope to raise funds by having open days which are open to the public for them to see our players’ potential because most survive on disability grants and our upcoming trip requires funds.”

According to the Sport Federation for people living with disabilities in South Africa, ‘Boccia sees athletes throw, kick, or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court to get closest to a “jack” ball. It is played indoors on a court similar in size to a badminton court. Rules: The game aims to get closer to the jack than your opponent. The side whose ball is not closest to the jack throws until they get a ball closest or until they run out of balls’.

Aziz said the club had seven players but there were 12 representatives from the province. They were also preparing for the All Africa games which would be announced after the national games in Cape Town.

She added that their club was filled with potential to do well in the upcoming games and practised on Saturday.

“So far only two players were announced to compete at the All Africa games. We’

re yet to hear who the next two will be from the club and if the team wins gold, they get an opportunity to represent the country at the Paralympics in 2024.”

Boccia Bandits chairperson Mary Bornman explained the club’s history.

“The club began in 2013 due to the club’s top players not having a club to belong to after they left school and have been going from strength to strength since then. I was introduced to Boccia when a man called Ruan van Zyl gave out balls to the school I worked at and that is how the school began the sport. In 2000, we started playing, which is also when the international games became popular.”

Bornaman explained that the club participants suffered from cerebral palsy.