Parasport and Recreation PEI Announced as Provincial Partner of Boccia Canada

Ottawa, ON (April 4, 2023) – Boccia Canada and ParaSport and Recreation PEI are pleased to announce that ParaSport and Recreation is the official provincial boccia partner for Prince Edward Island. 

Provincial partners act as the provincial sport organization (PSO) for boccia. They are responsible for developing boccia in their province, including:

• Providing a competitive pathway for athlete development from grassroots, recreational programming to the Canadian Boccia Championships
• Athlete recruitment and retention
• Recruiting and training coaches, officials and volunteers
• Conducting provincial championships
• Selecting provincial teams

ParaSport and Recreation PEI has already hosted boccia try it sessions, trained several boccia coaches and will be starting their first boccia program in April 2023 in Charlottetown. 
 
“We’re very proud to be working ParaSport and Recreation PEI. With their strong history of multisport programming, they are uniquely positioned to grow and develop boccia in PEI,” says Program Manager Jennifer Larson.  
 
“After learning more about the sport of boccia in our discussions with CCPSA and Boccia Canada, we knew a partnership was the right decision. The addition of boccia to our programs will provide our members and potential members with a new sport experience. We love that boccia is inclusive and can be adapted for individuals with a wide range of abilities,” said Tracy Stevenson, Executive Director, ParaSport and Recreation PEI.
 
This announcement is a tangible result of ongoing boccia development efforts in the Atlantic region, which has included shipping Bratz@Home boccia equipment kits to recipients in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, hosting a virtual Atlantic Boccia Forum and hosting a Provincial Boccia Forum in Charlottetown in 2022.  
 
Find more information about upcoming boccia programming taking place in PEI here. 
 
Find a list of current provincial boccia partners here. 

About Boccia Canada
Boccia Canada is the boccia delivery arm of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA), the National Sport Organization for the Paralympic sport of boccia. Boccia Canada is focused on providing athletes and individuals of all ages and skill with the chance to play a unique Paralympic sport. CCPSA leads, develops and grows boccia from grassroots to producing World Champions, and we collaborate with partners to increase participation of Canadians with physical disabilities in sport.

About boccia
Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and related disabilities. It is one of only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Athletes compete in one of six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3, BC4, BC5, and Open. For more information on boccia, visit www.bocciacanada.ca.