According to Nigel Murray, one of the most successful competitors in boccia in the history of the Paralympic Games, everyone who watches boccia for the first time enjoys it.

Murray, who will compete for Great Britain in both the pairs, team and individual events from 10 to 16 September at Carioca Arena 2, fully expects the sport to captivate fans at Rio 2016.

“They are quite intrigued by the nature of the different disabilities, of people throwing balls, some people using (head-operated) ramps, and some people using their feet," Murray told Disability News Service.

Nigel Murray is the fifth most successful boccia player of all time (Photo: Getty Images/Dan Kitwood).

In Rio, Murray will be competing at his fifth Games. He is Great Britain’s most successful boccia player, having won two golds, one silver and one bronze medal from his appearances at the last four Paralympic Games.

A cousin of boules

Boccia has traditionally been a sport for disabled people with high support needs, such as people with cerebral palsy who may use head-operated ramps to throw the balls and may be assisted by helpers.

The sport is similar to the game of boules. To win, players must get as many of their coloured balls, either red or blue, as close to the white ‘jack’ as possible. Boccia is played individually, in pairs or in teams. The number of rounds varies in accordance with the event, but there are always six balls per person in each round. The winner is the player who lands the most balls as close to the jack as possible.

Boccia is all about getting your six coloured balls closest to the white 'jack' (Photo: Getty Images)

Boccia players tend to have either cerebral palsy or related neurological conditions. Within Boccia there are a number of different categories, BC1, 2, 3 and 4, which reflect the severity of the athlete’s disability. 

Brazilian hopes

Boccia is a key sport for the host nation Brazil, with boccia legend Dirceu José Pinto and team-mate Eliseu Dos Santos both major contenders for Paralympic gold.

The world no.1 in the BC2 class is also Brazilian: Maciel Sousa Santos, who heads into Rio 2016 as the defending Paralympic champion. At London 2012, he beat China’s Zhuqiang Yan 8-0 to win his first Paralympic gold. 

Maciel Sousa Santos, defending champion in the BC2 category (Photo: Getty Images/Matthew Stockman)

Defending champions

Since Beijing 2008, Brazil's Dirceu José Pinto has dominated the BC4 class in every major tournament he has appeared in, both in individual and paired competitions. Pinto was born with muscular dystrophy, however, at 22, he was introduced to boccia at a training pitch in his hometown of Mogi das Cruzes. The 32-year-old says the moment changed his life.

Dirceu José Pinto celebrates his gold medal win in the BC4 individual at London 2012. He has four Paralympic gold medals from 2008 and 2012, in pairs and individual. (Photo: Getty Images/Scott Heavey) 

Golden pair

Pinto and Eliseu Dos Santos won gold in mixed pairs boccia at the London 2012 Games and will go for a repeat success at Rio 2016. 

Brazil's Dirceu Jose Pinto and Eliseu Dos Santos celebrate winning gold in mixed pairs boccia at the London 2012 Paralympic Games (Photo: Getty Images)

Another athlete to keep an eye on is Daniel Perez of the Netherlands, who is the world no.1 in the BC1 class. Perez will be looking to land his first major title when he makes his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016. 

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At the 2014 world championship in Beijing, Perez lost to Great Britain’s eventual gold medallist David Smith in the semi-finals, but bounced back to take bronze. In 2015, he won gold at the World Open in Poznan, Poland, defeating Smith. 

The experienced Smith is a London 2012 individual BC1 silver medallist and featured in the bronze medal-winning team at London 2012 alongside Murray. “Beijing and London were both completely different experiences, and I look forward to finding out what Rio has in store for me,” Smith told the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

David Smith of Great Britain will be going for gold in the BC1 category (Photo: Getty Images)  

“The standard of international competition continues to go up, but I’ve remained focused on my preparations to ensure I’m in the best possible place,” said Smith, who has spastic quadriplegia, a type of cerebral palsy.

After winning silver at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and multiple titles in the last four years, Smith is hoping to go a step further at Rio 2016. 

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