TN Boccia players win 5 medals at Paralympic national meet

CHENNAI: In the Paralympic national game held recently, players with disabilities won five medals at the event held in Visakhapatnam last week. In 2024, three players with cerebral palsy (CP) from Tamil Nadu had won various medals at the Boccia held in Madhya Pradesh.

This year, eight players from the State participated and won four individual medals in different categories and won a medal as a team consisting of three players.

Boccia is a Paralympic game, usually involving players with high restrictions in mobility. However, despite any locomotive constraints, the game allows players to engage in different games, ultimately choosing winners. “It’s mostly played by people using wheelchairs with limited hand functions or who have very little mobility,” said a person with disability.

The list of medal winners in individual category are Anandhi, who won silver Medal under BC-1 female category, R Lakshimi Prabha won gold medal under BC-2 female category, Sabana Barveen K won silver medal under BC-2 female category and M Anusuya won bronze medal under BC-3 female category. As a team, the silver medal was bagged under mixed BC-1 and BC-2 categories by R Lakshimi Prabha, Anandhi and Vinoth Kumar.

BC1 is a category where athletes have severe activity limitations affecting their legs, arms and trunk, and typically depend on a powered wheelchair. BC2 has players with better trunk-arm function than those in class BC1. Abilities of their arms and hands often allow them to throw the ball overhand and underhand and with a variety of grasps.

BC3 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 are unable to propel the ball consistently into the field of play and are allowed to use a ramp with the help of a sport assistant. BC4 players have non-cerebral impairments that impact muscle power, passive range of movement or limb deficiency.