St Mary’s Host of London Youth Games

On Wednesday 19th March, St Mary’s University, Twickenham hosted an event for the 2014 London Youth Games. Pupils from primary and secondary schools in Kingston, Richmond, Ealing, Sutton and other boroughs took part in the ParaGames Boccia qualifiers in the Sport St Mary’s Performance Hall. Boccia is a sport designed for disabled athletes and can be played by individuals, pairs, or teams of three. Similar to bowls, each team’s objective is to try and position their balls as close to the target ball (jack) as possible. The balls can be moved with hands, feet or, if the competitor's disability is severe, with an assistive device. The Games, run by the London Youth Games Foundation which was set up in 1986, consists of pupils aged 7 to 18 from schools across London’s 33 boroughs competing against one another in a variety of sporting activities. Over 100,000 students take part in 80 competitions across 30 sports in different locations. The ParaGames Boccia finals will take place at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Wednesday 2nd April.