SA Boccia athletes make history as they qualify for their first Paralympics

JOHANNESBURG - Team South Africa brought home a bag full of medals and a Paralympic qualification from the World Boccia Africa Regional Championships in Cairo, Egypt, which happened from 2 to 8 July.

South Africa’s BC3 pair of Elanza Jordaan and Karabo Morapedi won gold and qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

BC3 class athletes have significant limitations in arm and leg functions, and poor or no trunk control. They are unable to consistently grasp or release the ball and propel it onto the field of play and are allowed to use a ramp with the help of a sports assistant.

“It’s a historic moment as South Africa has never had a representative in the sport at the Paralympic Games. It was Jordaan’s second gold at the competition after winning the individual African title before the pairs contest,” posted the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD) on Facebook.

Boccia (pronounced ‘Bot-cha’) is split into four classes, BC1-4 and is a game designed specifically for athletes with a disability affecting locomotor function.

Boccia is a Paralympic sport introduced in 1984 when 19 athletes represented five different countries.

Now, Boccia is practiced in more than 75 countries worldwide, and it has no Olympic counterpart.

“The team excelled in Cairo. The BC1/2 team of Seipati Majoe, Liakath Aziz and Brett Dakin won silver, with bronze medals for the individual competition going to Majoe, Samuel Tshilunga, Bukho Monakali and Aziz,” said SASAPD on Facebook.

These championships are used as a qualifier for teams and pairs for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

At this championship, individual players will gain ranking points, which will help them gain qualifying points for Paris 2024.

The World Boccia Africa Regional Championships in Cairo, Egypt saw the first athletes qualify for Boccia in Paris 2024, with Tunisia being victorious in BC1/2 Team, South Africa in the BC3 Pair and Egypt in the BC4 Pair.

Boccia is a game designed specifically for athletes with a disability affecting their locomotor function. It is a precision ball sport related to bowls.

HOW IS IT PLAYED?

Athletes throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court with the aim of getting closest to a "jack" ball.

The sport is played indoors on a court similar in size to a badminton court.

The aim of the game is to get closer to the jack than your opponent. The jack ball is white and is thrown first.

One side has six red balls and the other has six blue balls.

The balls are leather containing plastic granules so they don't bounce but will still roll.

The side whose ball is not closest to the jack throws until they get a ball closest or until they run out of balls.

Once all the balls have been thrown, one side receives points for every ball they have closer to the jack than their opponent's closest ball.

South Africa’s medal winners at the World Boccia Africa Regional Championships in Cairo, Egypt.

BC3 pair - Elanza Jordaan and Karabo Morapedi - Gold and Paralympic Qualification.

BC3 Individual - Elanza Jordaan - Gold

BC1/2 team of Seipati Majoe, Liakath Aziz and Brett Dakin - Silver

BC1 Individual - Seipati Majoe - Bronze medal

BC1 Individual - Samuel Tshilunga - Bronze medal

BC2 Individual - Liakath Aziz - Bronze medal

BC3 Individual - Karabo Morapedi - Bronze medal

BC4 Individual - Bukho Monakali - Bronze medal