A valley-wide boccia sports training and competition for persons with severe disabilities was successfully held in Kathmandu on Jestha 27, under the theme “Sports for All.” The event was organized by the Nepal Boccia Association with support from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Tokha Municipality. The event was specifically designed for individuals with complete or severe disabilities such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, severe spinal cord injuries, and spina bifida.
Goma Devi Poudel, President of the Nepal Boccia Association, shared that she introduced boccia to Nepal from Japan in 2007. Highlighting the importance of this sport, she emphasized its physical, recreational, and psychological benefits for persons with disabilities. She called for continued support from local governments in the form of budgets, training programs, and infrastructure development to make this sport more inclusive and sustainable.
Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Sunita Dangol, served as the chief guest and distributed certificates to the participants. She also interacted with the players’ guardians, underlining the need for fostering a respectful and inclusive environment. She expressed her happiness at witnessing the abilities of the athletes firsthand and committed to future collaboration with the association.
The competition featured individual and team events across various categories including BC1 (foot-play), BC2 (hand-play), and BC3 (pair events using assistive ramps). A total of 60 athletes — 33 male and 27 female — participated in the event. Winners included Buddha Rai (BC1), Yashoda Bohora & Bikesh Adhikari (BC3 pair), and several group winners in the BC2 and mixed team categories.