Is Bocce Ball An Olympic Sport?

Is Bocce Ball An Olympic Sport Featured Photo

I find joy in watching sports, even if I don’t necessarily play them myself. Just the rush of rooting for a team against another and watching them compete for the coveted price is enough to get me all excited and riled up!

The game of Bocce ball has been slowly but surely gaining widespread recognition and popularity across the country. As it’s becoming a more common sport and an even more casual game, many people often wonder if it’s officially recognized as an Olympic sport.

It’s a team sport, it has history, and it’s so popular it’s actually the third most played sport in the world. So in a sense, it makes sense that it’s an official Olympic sport, right?

If you find yourself asking the same question, I’ve got the answer and more right below!

What is Bocce?

Before we get into today’s main question, let’s first discuss what Bocce exactly is.

Bocce is an Italian game and is actually an ancient game and one of the oldest games in the world, finding its roots all the way back to the Roman Empire. In fact, the first Bocce Olympiad was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

Since it was first played, Bocce evolved from a crude sport played with rocks or coconuts to a modern and popular game played with either composite or metal balls.

Bocce is similar and closely related to lawn bowling and to the French game of pétanque.

To start a game of Bocce, a target and smaller ball called the jack, pallino, or sometimes even boccino, is tossed into the middle of the field. The objective of the game is pretty simple, each player (two teams with one to eight players) will toss a much bigger Bocce ball in an attempt to get their team’s balls closer to the pallino than their opponent’s balls.

The team with the closest playing ball to the target ball wins the round.

Though there are standard rules and regulations in an official Bocce game, it’s been gaining popularity because of its extreme flexibility and adaptability.

The game can be played in as simple as your home’s yard, modifying the rules as you see fit, and with a glass of wine in your hand.

For more information on the sport, visit World Bocce League here.

Is Bocce Ball An Olympic Sport?

As Bocce gains more and more popularity across the country, many wonder if it’s an official Olympic sport. The answer is – no, Bocce is not currently an Olympic sport, though according to the World Bocce League, the sport is being proposed to be part of the Olympic games!

However, Bocce is a Special Olympics World Games sport, and has been since 1991!

Bocce Ball as Part of the Special Olympics World Games

Bocce has been part of the Special Olympics World Games since 1991.

According to the Special Olympics official website, Bocce, as part of its list of games and sports, helps provide women and men, girls and boys playing with special needs the opportunity for social contact as a team sport. It’s also a great way for them to develop physically and build-up their self-confidence.

You can expect players and athletes to play this game at the upcoming Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 on June 17-25, 2023. For the upcoming World Games, an estimated number of 262 athletes and 62 unified partners are expected to participate in the Bocce event.

Bocce is a unified Special Olympics sport

Bocce is a unified sport in the Special Olympics World Games.

In the Special Olympics World Games, there is such a thing as unified sports. What this means is people with and without intellectual abilities are joined together on the same team. The goal for this is simple: people train and play together, promoting friendship and understanding despite the differences.

Bocce Special Olympics events for competition

Bocce is played in a total of ten official events in the Special Olympics:

  • Singles (one player per team)
  • Doubles (two players per team)
  • Mixed Doubles (two players per team)
  • Team Competition (four players per team)
  • Mixed Team Competition (four players per team)
  • Unified Sports Bocce Doubles (two players per team)
  • Unified Sports Bocce Mixed Doubles (two players per team)
  • Unified Sports Bocce Team (four players per team)
  • Unified Sports Bocce Mixed Team (four players per team)
  • Singles Ramp (one player per team using a ramp)

Bocce in Special Olympics guide and rules

Court: The official Special Olympics Bocce court is 12 feet (3.66 meters) in width and 60 feet (18.29 meters) in length. There are designated foul lines and half-court markers. The court’s surface may be made of stone dust, dirt, clay, grass, or any artificial surface, given there is zero obstruction on the surface.

Equipment: There is one smaller target ball, called pallino or jack, and eight bigger Bocce playing balls. The eight bigger balls are usually distinguished with two different colors (four balls per color). A measuring device may also be used to determine exact distance from the target ball.

Special equipment: Athletes who don’t have the ability to physically roll their playing ball with their hands can use ramps. Other assistance devices may also be used upon the approval of the Competition Committee. Athletes who would use ramps would be placed in a separate competition division, the Singles Ramp.

Teams: Depending on the division being played, a team can have one to four players per team. And according to the number of players per team, the number of balls played by each player also varies:

  • One-player team: each player has four balls
  • Two-player team: each player has two balls
  • Four-player team: each player has one ball

Starting the game: The game starts with a coin toss. The team who wins the coin toss gets to place the pallino into the court. The player who does this will also roll out the first ball.

Playing: Players are allowed to use different techniques and strategies like rolling, banking, blocking, etc.

Scoring: The team with the closest ball to the pallino wins the round. Different events with different numbers of players per team also have different set winning scores:

  • One-player team: 12 points
  • Two-player team: 12 points
  • Four-player team: 16 points

Playing the Game: Additional Resources

For more information on Bocce as part of the Special Olympics World Games visit their official website here and for additional rules and guidelines in playing the game, check this out.

Upcoming Bocce Games and Events

As we’ve mentioned, Bocce is one of the events for the upcoming Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. The World Games will commence on June 17-25, 2023. Bocce will take place on the grounds of Messe Berlin, in Hall 1.2.

For more information on the upcoming World Games, head on to their official website here.

Conclusion

Bocce is becoming a more and more popular game across the country. Bocce sets are fast becoming best-sellers on online stores with more and more people falling in love with it as a fun and casual game.

Bocce is played with a small target ball – called jack, pallino, or boccino – and with eight larger Bocce balls. These larger balls are what the players play with. The goal of the game is simple: get your team’s ball closest to the pallino at the end of the round.

Due to its increasing popularity, many wonder if it’s an official Olympic event. After all, it’s a sport; can accommodate single, double, and team events; and it’s a pretty exciting game to watch. So, is it?

Bocce Ball is not an Olympic sport – however, it is part of the Special Olympics World Games and has been since 1991! In fact, it’s part of the upcoming World Games on June 15-25, 2023 in Berlin.

According to the Special Olympics, Bocce provides players with special needs an opportunity for social contact, develop physically, and provides a safe space to build-up their self-confidence.

And that has been our guide on Bocce as an Olympic sport!

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