Boċċi pitch opens at Paola day centre for people with disability

A new boċċi pitch has opened at Aġenzija Sapport’s day centre for people with disability in Paola, the third such facility operated by the agency.

The pitch, inaugurated by Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia, cost €11,500 and forms part of a wider plan to include sport in the daily programmes offered at Sapport centres.

Sapport operates 11 day centres attended by around 500 people with intellectual disability. More than 80 of them train in boċċi at professional level through a collaboration with Special Olympics Malta, according to the ministry.

The Paola centre is attended by 33 people with disability and forms part of a wider hub that also includes a volunteering centre, a base for the Service Dogs Malta Foundation and Ġnien Zaylen, a multisensory garden developed with Project Green.

The ministry said the garden and boċċi pitch are open to the public at specific times every day.

Two Maltese boċċi occe athletes who train through the programme represented Malta at the Special Olympics UAE National Games 2026 in Abu Dhabi this week. Nevice Grech won gold, while Nathalie Galea won silver, the ministry said. 

Minister Julia Farrugia with one of the day centre attendees. Photo: DOI/Pierre Sammut

The UAE Games 2026 were held in Abu Dhabi from June 6 to 10, with more than 1,000 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities taking part, according to the Emirates News Agency.

Aġenzija Sapport CEO Oliver Scicluna said sport had become an important part of the programmes offered to people attending the agency’s day centres, helping them discover and develop their abilities.

The agency’s director for customer support, schemes and day services, Melanie Magri, said such initiatives were designed around the needs of each person and aimed to improve quality of life.

Special Olympics Malta national director Anna Calleja said the organisation was considering extending its services so that more people could remain active and take part in society.

A Mini-Olympics event was also held at the Paola centre on Friday, with people from several day centres and Sapport employees taking part in boċċi, football, basketball, the Motor Activity Training Programme and races.