Two new bocce courts that were built out of necessity at Levin Adventure Park are all but completed.
After three years of transporting portable bocce courts a Special Olympics group decided it was time for a more permanent venue.
Levin man Bill Wright, the mover and shaker behind the new courts, said the new courts simply meant more people of all abilities participating in sport.
The beauty of bocce as abona-fide sport was that people of all abilities were able to participate.
"The lesser able are able to take part in a sport. The beam on their face is the only reward," he said.
The new courts had wheelchair access and competitors could play the game from chairs.
The club were dependant on trailers and man power to move transportable bocce pistes in the past.
The bocce venue was ideally located next to St Josephs School where the club holds its athletics.
The bocce project had the support of Levin Adventure Park instigators Helen and Collis Blake and was helped financially by HDC and a Driscoll Trust grant.
Voluntary work led by Mr Wright had kept costs to a minimum, while local companies had provided discounts on materials and service.
The courts would officially be opened on Sunday, February 9 at 1:30pm followed by a tournament for Special Olympians and invited guests.
Today's game of bocce was a modern game with an ancient history that originated in Italy centuries ago. Apart from the courts the basic equipment includes eight grooved balls in two different colours, a palance (jack) and a ruler.
Over the years countless variations of bocce had developed into sports in their own right.
Bowling, rolle bolle, shuffleboard, petanque and lawn bowls were all descendants of bocce.
In more recent times bocce had become a popular sport for disabled people in wheelchairs, special Olympians and senior citizens.
It appealed as a low impact and low cost activity that could provide hours of stimulation.
