WHAT IS THE PÉTANQUE, THE GAME OF BOCCE
It is called bocce, but in Italy it is known as a sport of bocce. The name does not betray the origins of this game: it is French, to be precise it was born in Provence. It is a specific specialty among the three that the Conféderation Mondiale des Sports de Boules has proposed as possible new disciplines for the 2024 Olympics. Therefore, it could become an Olympic sport. Certainly today he is the protagonist of the Google doodle, which has decided to celebrate this sport of ancient origins. The first official match, in fact, was organized in 1907 after the brothers Ernest and Joseph Pitot invented the bowls. An idea born to allow his friend Jules Lenoir to practice bowls even though he suffers from rheumatism.
KILLED IN CIVITANOVA MARCHE / That wild hatred is our drama of every moment The name of bocce was officially attributed to this game in 1910: it derives from the Provençal “ped tanco”, which means “feet anchored to the ground”. In effect, the game requires the throwing player to remain stationary. In 1930 there was the first turning point, with the transition from wooden bowls to steel ones thanks to Jean Blanc, whose brand still exists. But 25 years later, the first Obut bowls appeared. Ten years before this latest evolution, there was a historical transition: the French Federation of Bowls and Provençal Game was born, while the international one was founded in 1958. Now you are surely wondering how to play bowls, also because the Google doodle allows you to play online alone or with friends. The object of the game is to score points by placing the ball closer to the cue ball than the opponent’s. Matches can be between two teams of three or two players (trios or braces), but there are also tête-à-tête, so one against the other. If playing with three-player teams, each has two boules; if they are two or single, each has three bowls. The distance in the senior category is between 6 and 10 meters, but you can play on any terrain. Officially the dimensions are 15 meters long and 4 meters wide, but 12 and 3 meters are allowed respectively. Bowls players must throw the balls within a circle of 35-50 cm in diameter, standing with steady feet until the ball hits the ground and hits the target. The starting team is extracted, the circle is drawn on the ground, the jockey is thrown, then the first bowl. Each team shoots until they do better than their opponents.
PÉTANQUE, POINTS AND WORLD CHALLENGES
If the point is scored, i.e. if one of the balls is closer to the cue ball than all the opponents’ balls, the action at the ball passes to the other team, if this has the balls to throw . Once the shots are finished, all those who are closer to the cue ball than those of the opponent are counted. The team that reaches 13 points first wins (even if at the World Cup the maximum score to be achieved is 15 points). What happens if the jack goes out of bounds on the court? If both teams still have boules to play or neither team has any, play resumes with a new throw.
However, if one of the teams still has boules to play, its number is marked as a score. We referred to the World Cup for this game that could make it to the Olympics. There are three categories when it comes to competitions: senior, young and female. Bocce is a sport suitable for any age, and is also the most practiced specialty in the world. Although bocce is the most popular game in the world, in Italy it is played in patches, however, only in some regions.
