London 2012 blog

I was lucky enough on Friday to attend a Boccia tournament involving 70 primary school children from Hackney.

The tournament organisers – East End SportsAbility with the help of Hackney Council’s Sports Services - worked with the schools to coach the youngsters in the art of Boccia, a Paralympic sport that is similar to the French game of boules or petanque.

The day-long tournament was held at the excellent Space sports centre at Hackney Community College and was as a chance for the youngsters to put their new skills to the test.

London 2012 organised for Zoe Edge, a Boccia silver medallist for Team GB at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games to be there to meet the kids, umpire some games, give some words of encouragement and hand out the awards.

What really impressed me was how great the kids were – not only how well they played but also how they supported each other's efforts.

There was some seriously tactical play going on, and the final between Jubilee and Whitmore Primary Schools was a close-run thing. Whitmore pulled ahead in the last few sets to win it.

This project ensured that disabled and non-disabled young people were able to learn new skills together and compete together.

It was fantastic to see young people living so close to the Olympic Park gaining an understanding of and experience in playing Boccia in advance of the London 2012 Games.