The Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed) has awarded the rights to host the 2018 World Championships to Boccia UK. The competition, which is the biggest and most prestigious on the international calendar outside the Paralympic Games, will be hosted at Exhibition Centre Liverpool from the 9^th to 19^th August 2018.

Boccia is a Paralympic sport with no Olympic equivalent. It is a target ball sport designed for athletes with impairments affecting all four limbs. Having watched the sport in London 2012, sportswriter Simon Barnes wrote “It’s the heart and soul of the Paralympic Games. Or of all sport. You haven’t seen sport until you’ve seen boccia.”

Following sold out crowds in London 2012 and Rio 2016 the sport continues to grow apace internationally and 192 athletes will travel to Liverpool in 2018 in their quest to become World Champion. A truly international sport, the medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games were shared between Europe, Asia and the Americas while more countries in Oceania and Africa are taking part in BISFed sanctioned competitions every year.

The organising committee aims to deliver the best World Championships the sport has seen. Hosted in Exhibition Centre Liverpool, an 8,100m² venue on the banks of Liverpool’s world heritage waterfront with accommodation on site, the athlete experience will be second to none. Situated in Liverpool city centre, the event aims to attract thousands of spectators to create a memorable atmosphere and introduce people to a fascinating technical and tactical sport they might not have come across before.

John Dowson, Chair of Boccia UK, said:

“We are thrilled to be hosting the BISFed World Championships in Liverpool next year. This is the largest Boccia event on the international calendar in terms of athlete numbers and gives an excellent opportunity for innovation in showcasing the sport at a stunning location. We are extremely grateful to UK Sport and the National Lottery for their financial contribution through their Major Events Programme and to the City of Liverpool who will provide an unrivalled experience for both athletes and spectators”

David Hadfield, President of BISFed, said:

“I am very pleased that the BISFed 2018 World Championships will be hosted by Boccia UK in the wonderful city of Liverpool. Boccia is the fastest-growing Paralympic sport and we expect the competition to attract more countries and more athletes than ever to an international boccia event. I am looking forward to seeing an extraordinary demonstration of para sport in a very exciting and innovative setting.”

David Smith MBE, two-time Paralympic Gold medallist and Boccia UK athlete, said:

“I am so excited that the BISFed 2018 World Championships will be held in the UK. Performing in front of a home crowd in London 2012 was one of the finest moments of my career. I know the people of Liverpool are sports mad and I really hope they will take Boccia to their hearts to give my team mates and I a huge boost on the road to Tokyo. I hope that by creating the most interactive and entertaining Boccia competiton ever we will put Boccia firmly in the public consciousness and inspire the local and national disability community to get involved in the sport.”

Joe Anderson OBE, Mayor of Liverpool, said:

“This is fantastic news and a demonstration of Liverpool’s ability to secure and deliver major sporting events. Whether it’s athletics, netball, triathlons, gymnastics, boxing, running and now Boccia, Liverpool has proved itself time and again as the perfect host to showcase a wide range of sports. We take it extremely seriously and have world class venues matched with passionate fans, providing a unique welcome. Sport is in our DNA and we will work hard to bring an enthusiastic audience that will be fair, welcoming and supportive of all athletes and participating nations and showcase Boccia to the world.”

Tim Hollingsworth OBE, CEO of the British Paralympic Association, said:

“It is terrific news that Boccia UK will host the BISFed World Championships next year giving British crowds the opportunity to watch Boccia here in the UK. We have a proud tradition of success in Boccia at Paralympic level – this is built on outstanding performances at major championships, such as the Worlds, and I am sure that British athletes will be keen to perform once again in front of home support. The World Championships will also be a major part of the GB team’s preparations for Tokyo 2020 so it will be a good testing ground ahead of the Games.

“I congratulate the team at Boccia UK on all their hard work to win the right to host the Championships. I know they will put on a fantastic event and I look forward to attending next year.”

The Scottish Disability Sport Para Bowls team competed at the Home Nation Championships at the Newport Indoor Bowls Stadium in Wales from Friday 21st April to Sunday 23rd April.

Teams from England, Wales and Scotland competed in singles, pairs, triples and fours across the physically disabled and visually impaired sections, for the honour of being crowned Home Nations Champions. This was the first of two of these events in an extremely busy year, with the focus being Commonwealth Games 2018 qualification.

The Scottish programme is buoyed with talent at present and a team of twenty seven bowlers, directors and coaches were selected to compete and defend the trophy won in 2016 at Kelvingrove International Bowls Centre in Glasgow. Scotland traditionally excel in the outdoor environment, however indoor bowls is a completely different proposition, which has historically been England’s forte.

Indoor bowls has become the priority heading into the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games due to the lightening quick green speeds that will welcome our players in Australia. No outdoor surface in Scotland can replicate that environment and as a result Scotland’s indoor play has improved dramatically.

The format of the event dictated that each match was worth two points, with 48 being available across the weekend. Scotland’s target was 32 – enough to win the competition – but in the end we had to settle for 30, resulting in a runners up place with England lifting the trophy. Ultimately, one more victory against England would have been enough, and there were numerous close matches across several rinks, but it wasn’t to be.

Scotland congratulate England on their success but our coaching team have taken many positives from the performances, which included varying combinations of players, formations and directors that was tested against tough international opponents. Furthermore, several new players made their international debut and it was a great opportunity for the players and staff to travel together and build upon the already strong team dynamic. In the long run this will aid the Scottish preparations for the Multi-Nations event at the beginning of June, which will ultimately qualify the nation for the Games itself.

There were several notable performances across the board but the team, via Captain Michael Simpson, highlighted John Wardrope (B7) for special mention. He was the only member of the squad to win all four of the games he competed, with a string of mature performances in two pair’s ties, alongside Martin Hunter and two fours ties, alongside Billy Allan, Barbara McMillan and Michael Simpson.

SDS would like to thank all the coaches, players and directors for their efforts over the course of the weekend and throughout the year thus far.

For a full list of players please click here.

Geraint Richards, the Tennis Foundation’s Head of Disability Player Performance, today announced his players selected to represent Great Britain in the BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Alghero, Sardinia, Italy, from 1 – 7 May 2017.

Great Britain will be competing in three of four events at the International Tennis Federation’s flagship wheelchair tennis event.

The teams will be:

Men’s Event – captained by Karen Ross

•  Gordon Reid (Glasgow)
• Alfie Hewett (Cantley)
• Dermot Bailey (Kettering)

Quad Event – captained by Stuart Wilkinson

•  Andy Lapthorne (Eastcote)
• Antony Cotterill (Penistone)
• James Shaw (Nottingham)

Junior Event – captained by Rob Cross

•  Ruairi Logan (Edinburgh)
• Alex Chaston (Greenwich, London)
• George Davies (Coventry)

Great Britain made history at the 2015 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Antalya, Turkey, winning a first gold medal in the top tier of the men’s event after Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett beat France in both singles rubbers in the final.

Meanwhile, Andy Lapthorne and Antony Cotterill were both members of the Great Britain team that won the most recent of four World Team Cup titles to date in 2014.

2016 National School Games boys’ singles gold medallist Ruairi Logan will represent Great Britain in the junior event for the third time alongside squad debutants Alex Chaston and George Davies.

“I’ve got really great memories from 2015 and I think we’ve got a great chance of winning the title against after the bronze medal last year,” said Reid. “Last year’s World Team Cup was the first I’d missed since first being selected as a junior, as Roland Garros was soon afterwards, so I’m excited to be back in the team this year and the possibilities for us.

“When we beat Paralympic champions Stephane Houdet and Nico Peifer in the Super Series final in South Africa a couple of weeks ago that was the first time me and Alfie had been on court together since Rio, so given that I expect France to be our toughest opponents it was a good way to go to the World Team Cup.”

“The World Team Cup is a very different event and I’ve got some great memories and am excited for next week,” said Lapthorne. “We’ve got quite a new team with Jamie Burdekin having now retired and James Shaw coming in for the second year. Myself and Antony are unbeaten in doubles for quite a long time now and are very confident about what we can do. I think there are three or four teams that can do some damage this time so we’ll be doing our best to regain the title.”

Geraint Richards commented: “While 2016 was an exceptional year for British wheelchair tennis as we returned from the Rio Paralympics with six medals and as the most successful wheelchair tennis nation, recent World Team Cups have also produced some memorable victories for our men’s, quad and junior teams and we look forward to challenging for more medals in Sardinia.

”To have both our Rio Paralympic men’s singles and doubles finalists Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett and Rio quad singles finalist Andy Lapthorne headlining this year’s GB squad of nine players is obviously very exciting. All three have plenty of World Team Cup experience to draw on and with Gordon, Alfie and Antony Cotterill having all enjoyed Super Series doubles victories earlier this month I am confident that we have a well-prepared squad that will do Great Britain and the Tennis Foundation Wheelchair Tennis World Class Programme proud once again.”

Photos courtesy of the Tennis Foundation.

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) is delighted to launch a new strategic plan which will direct the work of the Association through to 2021 and beyond. The plan, entitled “Inspiring Through Inclusion 2017-2021“, has been developed following a comprehensive consultation process with key partners and strategic bodies across Scotland.

This Association’s vision is to lead inclusive sport in Scotland for participants and athletes with a physical, sensory or learning disability.

Scottish Disability Sport passionately believes in leading and developing inclusive opportunities and improving performance. This will ensure that any child, young person or adult with a disability can participate in sport and physical activity – no matter ability, geography or age. SDS will consolidate, develop and work in partnership to transform lives through the power of sport, focusing on five key areas:

ENGAGE AND PARTICIPATE – Identify, engage and sustain participant involvement through quality sporting opportunities

PROGRESS AND PERFORM – Supporting athletes to achieve their potential in performance sport

COACHING, EDUCATION AND LEARNING – Supporting quality assured training, development and learning opportunities

GOVERNANCE – Building a robust and accountable organisation with sound planning, policy and procedures

COMMUNICATION – Targeted, effective communication to all partners and individuals

Inclusion remains at the heart of the new strategic plan and is to be driven through a refreshed “Sports Inclusion Mode (SIM)” that will permeate throughout the work of the Association. SDS will work through the SIM with coaches, volunteers, clubs, activity sessions, schools, tertiary education, and all key stakeholders working in physical education, physical activity and sport to ensure inclusion is considered at all levels of the sporting pathway.

At all times, SDS will ensure an equitable approach to all aspects of the strategic plan and will also ensure that safe and secure environments are provided for all children, athletes, players, coaches, volunteers, officials and spectators.

“Inspiring Through Inclusion 2017-2021” is hot off the press and is in the process of being distributed widely to all key partners and stakeholders across Scotland.