India started its Boccia campaign at the Para Asian Games 2026 with Sachin Chamaria securing an 8-4 win over Khalifa Ahmad of UAE in the group stage of Men’s Individual BC3 category. Up next, he will face Japan’s Kazuki Takahashi in his second pool game on October 19 at 7:05 AM IST.
Boccia has been a part of the since its inaugural edition in 2010. India made its Boccia debut in the 2023 edition Hangzhou, with four athletes, but returned empty handed. Pooja Gupta was the lone bright spot in India’s Boccia campaign in the previous edition, having made it to the quarterfinal stage. The rest couldn’t go beyond the group stage.
However, things will be tough for India as the country sent only two athletes – Chamaria and Anjali Devi. Chamaria had been a part of the Indian Boccia contingent in the 2023 edition also.
Boccia is an indoor sport. Unlike the other sports which has an Olympic equivalent, Boccia has none. One might argue that Boccia is a similar to lawn bowls, but in reality they are not. While both are target-based rolling sports, there is a difference in equipment, surface and rules.
In Boccia, the athletes, from a seated position, roll the ball to land close to the white marker ball, which is known as the jack. The sport can be played as an individual, in pare or as a team of three. It is played on a court which is roughly the same size as a badminton court.
As far as the rules are concerned, the aim is to score as many points possible by placing the set of coloured balls closest to the white jack ball. The player has to attack and defend with the two rivals competing over a set number of ends.
