Talk:Greece defeats Portugal in boccia match at 2012 London Paralympics

Commentary notes
Game played on centre court. The place was about 2/3rds full.

When there was a particularly good shot, the Greek fans in front of us waved little Greek flags and cheered. Portugal is red but bowling with blue balls. Greece is in blue but bowling with red balls. Greekfans shouted bravo bravo. After one shot, the greek bwoler and the Portugese boccia went out and looked at the shot. The Greek used a motorized wheelchair and the Portuguese was wheeled out. They deteremined who won and by how many balls and then Greek got two points confirmed, with Greek winning the first end. Loud cheers for Greeks after scored announced.

Portuguese fans were quiet and more were across the stadium with big flags, though they were not as active in waving them. There was a Portuguese video camera person filming the match in addition to the two OBS camera people.

The Portuguese had three coaches on the far bench, the Greeks only had two.

Huge cheer of Bravo! from Greeks after one shot. After the greek player took a shot that got the cheer, the Portuguese player did a change in her ramp. The Greek player then took another shot and also did a ramp change.

Greeks won second end 1-0. No one wheeled out to examine the balls to see where they were placed.

Nice round of applause after the Portuguese made a good shot. One of the Greek coaches is lieaning forward im his chair on the far end. One of the portuguese coaches has his hand on his forehead.

Greek fans are politely clapping for nice Portugese perofrmances.

A number of Portuguese boccia players in the athlete section in their wheelchairs.

Greeeks did ramp changes in third set. Greek fans then went completely nuts after that.

After third test, they did g out again and check the balls. Greeks stood up and shouted bravo and waved their Greek flags. The third end was 0-1.

Moment of extreme confusion there solved by asking a volunteer. They play four ends. Even though Greek was leading in total ends, they need to play the fourth set because in theory, Portugual could still score more points as they shoot six balls each. Thus, fourth end was played. There was a few minute break after end 3 where both teams disappeared.

Greek fans still standing and cheering loudly after a well placed Greek ball. There was also some chanting by Greek fans after that shot in the fourth end.

Greeks clearly have two balls all but touching the white ball and when the second one got in that close, the Greek fans went nuts. --LauraHale (talk) 16:06, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Several large flags waved after the Greeks confirmed their gold medal win. Portugual won the last end 1-0. End score was 1-4 for Greece. The Greeks were doing rhythmic clapping, flag waving and chanting and the Greek players had huge smiles on their faces following their win. One immediately came out and was in front of the crowd for pictures with a giant smile. --LauraHale (talk) 16:13, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

COSTA Armando
Athlete Biography Boccia Flag POR COSTA Armando Related Participant News Profile Date of Birth: 25 MAR 1975 Gender: Male Place of Birth: CINFAES, Portugal Residence: - Sport: Boccia Event(s): Mixed Individual - BC3 Class: BC3 Mixed Pairs - BC3 Class: BC3 Participant's Portrait HISTORICAL RESULTS Competition Highlights [Explanation of Competition Highlights (click to open/close)] Rank	Event	Year	Location Paralympic Games 1	Pairs - BC1 wad X	1996	Atlanta, GA, USA 2	Individual - BC3	2000	Sydney, NSW, AUS 3	Pairs - BC3	2008	Beijing, CHN GENERAL INTEREST Club: APPC NR Norte, Portugal Coach: Luis Ferreira (appcdesporto.wordpress.com, 27 Oct 2011) Additional Information: Disability nature Cerebral Palsy

General PARALYMPIC VETERAN London 2012 will be his fifth consecutive Paralympic appearance. He competed in Atlanta 1996 where he won gold, Sydney 2000 where he won both a silver and a bronze, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 where he won another bronze. (dodouropress.pt, 2008; slideshare.net. 17 Sep 2008)

SCHEDULE AND RESULTS AT LONDON 2012 Date Time Sport Event Location Result Start List Results Reports SUN 02 10:40 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool B Portugal vs Spain ExCeL S1 - Court 5 7 - 0 Draw Results Reports SUN 02 15:30 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool B Portugal vs Thailand ExCeL S1 - Court 3 5 - 1 Draw Results Reports MON 03 10:40 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool B Portugal vs Belgium ExCeL S1 - Court 1 2 - 3 Draw Results Reports MON 03 15:25 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Semifinal 1 Korea vs Portugal ExCeL S1 - Court 2 3 - 4 Draw Results Reports TUE 04 15:45 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Gold Medal Match Portugal vs Greece ExCeL S1 - Court 3 Draw Reports

REPUBLISHED: A beginner's guide to boccia
REPUBLISHED: A beginner's guide to boccia Sunday, 02 September 2012 - 16:34

LONDON, 02 September - A beginner's guide to boccia, which starts at ExCeL on Sunday 2 September:

Boccia is similar to bowls or boules, with the aim being to throw balls as close to a jack as possible. It is a target sport that tests muscle control and accuracy, demanding extreme skill, tactical acumen and concentration.

Boccia is played by wheelchair athletes with cerebral palsy and related locomotor conditions. Players are required to be in a seated position in a throwing box at one end of the playing court.

There are three competitions: individual, pairs and team.

Players who are unable to roll the balls can use an assistive device called a ramp. Players take it in turns to throw, kick or roll a red or blue ball with the aim of getting closest to the white ball (jack).

After each side has thrown once, the competitor who is not closest to the jack continues to throw until one of their balls is closest to the jack or until they have thrown all their balls, at which point their opponent throws. The ball nearest the jack scores one point, as does any other ball closer to the jack than the opposition's best ball.

Each match involves a series of ends. Each end features six balls per athlete, pair or team. Individual and pairs matches consist of four ends, while team events are held over six ends.

Boccia is a mixed sport, with men and women playing in the same events.

Rules and regulations

The playing area of a court is 12.5m x 6m. The throwing area is divided into six boxes.

The jack must cross a V-shaped line for the throw to be valid.

Boccia is overseen by a referee who measures the distance of the balls from the jack to determine the winner.

A dead ball is one that has gone out of court or has been removed from the court by the referee following a violation, or a ball that has not been thrown after a side's time has expired.

Each player/team is allowed to use their own balls and jack. Equipment checks will take place on Thursday 30 August.

If the jack is knocked out of court during the match, it is repositioned on the 'replaced jack cross' in the centre of the court.

If two or more balls of different colours are equidistant from the jack and there are no other balls closer, the side that threw last throws again.

If scores are level at the end of a match, a tiebreak of one extra end is played.

There are time limits for each end of five to eight minutes, depending on the classification.

A penalty, resulting in two extra balls for the opposition, may be awarded for positioning and turn-taking violations.

A warning (yellow card) may be awarded for serious and deliberate disruption. A second warning results in disqualification.

Competition format

Seven gold medals will be awarded at London 2012: four individual, two pairs and one team.

Boccia begins with three days of pairs and team events from Sunday 2 September, with the gold medal matches on Tuesday 4 September. Individual competitions start on Wednesday 5 September, with the gold medal matches of all four classifications on Saturday 8 September.

In the individual events (four golds), initial seeding matches will determine who plays who. The matches are then decided on a knockout basis, with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Players compete over six ends.

The pairs events (two golds) start with a group stage of two pools of four teams playing each other once. The top two teams in each pool progress to the knockout stage. Players compete over four ends, with each player having three balls per end.

The team event (one gold) starts with four pools of three teams playing each other once. The top two teams in each pool (eight teams) progress to the knockout stage. There are three players per team; at least one must be a BC1 classification. Players compete over six ends, with each player having two balls per end.

In pairs and team events a substitute is allowed but only one substitution per match is permitted.

The draw for the pairs and team events will be on Saturday 1 September. The draw for the individual events will be on Tuesday 4 September.

A brief history

Boccia was introduced to the Paralympics in New York in 1984 when five gold medals were awarded.

The name boccia derives from the Italian game bocce, which is similar to lawn bowls or petanque. It is pronounced with a soft 'c' (bot-cha), to rhyme with with gotcha.

Boccia is played competitively in more than 50 countries. The top five countries following the 2011 Boccia World Cup in Belfast are Korea, Portugal, Thailand, Great Britain and Brazil.

Classifications

BC1 - Players with cerebral palsy who are able to use their hands or feet to consistently propel a ball into play. BC1 athletes may have an aide on court to pass them their ball before each shot.

BC2 - Players with cerebral palsy who are able to use their hands to consistently propel a ball into play and have greater functional ability than a BC1 athlete.

BC3 - Players with cerebral palsy or other disability with locomotor dysfunction in all four limbs who are unable to throw or kick a ball into play and as such are permitted to use an assistive device such as a ramp to propel the ball into play and are supported by an assistant ('ramper').

BC4 - Players who do not have cerebral palsy but have another disability with locomotor dysfunction in all four limbs and have similar functional ability to BC2 athletes. Disabilities such as muscular dystrophy and tetraplegia will fall under this classification.

PNS ns/rs/co/mr/jj

PANANOS Nikolaos
PANANOS Nikolaos Related Participant News Profile Date of Birth: 29 MAR 1968 Gender: Male Place of Birth: ATHENS, Greece Residence: - Sport: Boccia Event(s): Mixed Individual - BC3 Class: BC3 Mixed Pairs - BC3 Class: BC3 Participant's Portrait HISTORICAL RESULTS Competition Highlights [Explanation of Competition Highlights (click to open/close)] GENERAL INTEREST Occupation: Retired Club: ASAX Eidiki Olympiada, Greece Coach: Andreas Keramidas (NPC, 27 Aug 2012) Hobbies: Music. (NPC, 27 Aug 2012) Additional Information: Disability nature Cerebral Palsy

Start of sporting career He began training in 2006, and competing in 2007. (NPC, 27 Aug 2012)

SCHEDULE AND RESULTS AT LONDON 2012 Date Time Sport Event Location Result Start List Results Reports SUN 02 10:40 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool A Greece vs Great Britain ExCeL S1 - Court 3 5 - 0 Draw Results Reports SUN 02 15:30 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool A Greece vs Canada ExCeL S1 - Court 1 3 - 2 Draw Results Reports MON 03 09:00 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool A Greece vs Korea ExCeL S1 - Court 5 0 - 11 Draw Results Reports MON 03 15:25 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Semifinal 2 Belgium vs Greece ExCeL S1 - Court 3 0 - 7 Draw Results Reports TUE 04 15:45 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Gold Medal Match Portugal vs Greece ExCeL S1 - Court 3 Draw Reports WED 05 11:25 BO Mixed Individual - BC3 1/16 Final CHOI Ye-Jin KOR vs PANANOS Nikolaos GRE ExCeL S1 - Court 6 Draw Reports

POLYCHRONIDIS Grigorios
POLYCHRONIDIS Grigorios Related Participant News Profile Date of Birth: 13 AUG 1981 Gender: Male Place of Birth: VATOUMI ADZARIA, Georgia Residence: - Sport: Boccia Event(s): Mixed Individual - BC3 Class: BC3 Mixed Pairs - BC3 Class: BC3 Participant's Portrait HISTORICAL RESULTS Competition Highlights [Explanation of Competition Highlights (click to open/close)] Rank	Event	Year	Location Paralympic Games 2	Individual - BC3	2008	Beijing, CHN GENERAL INTEREST Education: Accounting - Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, GRE Club: ASAX Agios Christoforos, Greece Coach: Georgios Tzimas [national] (NPC, 27 Aug 2012) Hobbies: Computers. (NPC, 27 Aug 2012) Languages: English, Greek, Russian Additional Information: Disability nature Spinal Cord Injuries

Disability origin Congenital - Genetic

Start of sporting career He began training in 2001, and competing in 2002. (NPC, 27 Aug 2012)

Reason for taking up this sport In his first year of university he met coach George Tzimas, who introduced him to the sport. (gregpoly.com, 01 Dec 2011)

Awards In 2004 he was named an Honorary Citizen of Athens, by the Greek Parliament. (gregpoly.com, 01 Dec 2011)

General GEORGIA TO GREECE He moved to Greece with the rest of his family at age eight. (paralympic.org, 27 Sep 2011)

DISABILITY ORIGIN He has spinal muscular atrophy, a disability that limits muscle development and as a consequence his limb movement and strength. (gregpoly.com, 01 Dec 2011)

SCHEDULE AND RESULTS AT LONDON 2012 Date Time Sport Event Location Result Start List Results Reports SUN 02 10:40 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool A Greece vs Great Britain ExCeL S1 - Court 3 5 - 0 Draw Results Reports SUN 02 15:30 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool A Greece vs Canada ExCeL S1 - Court 1 3 - 2 Draw Results Reports MON 03 09:00 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Pool A Greece vs Korea ExCeL S1 - Court 5 0 - 11 Draw Results Reports MON 03 15:25 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Semifinal 2 Belgium vs Greece ExCeL S1 - Court 3 0 - 7 Draw Results Reports TUE 04 15:45 BO Mixed Pairs - BC3 Gold Medal Match Portugal vs Greece ExCeL S1 - Court 3 Draw Repor

Review of revision 1611906 [Not ready]

 * Wasn't sure which paragraphs were being referred to as you said third, but quoted fourth. Tweaked both. --LauraHale (talk) 04:05, 5 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Tweaks look fine to me. Don't see any factually incorrect meaning changes.--212.183.128.206 (talk) 09:57, 5 September 2012 (UTC)