London Youth Games Boccia event inspires and empowers 200 young people with SEND

London Youth Games welcomed more than 200 young participants to compete in Boccia across two inclusive days in February.

Held on 25th and 26th February 2026 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and Harrow Leisure Centre, the event brought together young people from 28 boroughs, the highest number of participants since 2020. Open Games (U17) events ran alongside School Games (U11) at both venues.

To maximise participation, boroughs were invited to enter two teams, reinforcing the Games’ commitment to ensuring every young person has the opportunity to experience the power of sport.

Across every match, young participants represented their boroughs proudly and displayed  sportsmanship, cheering teammates and often applauding good plays from their opponents. Participants included ambulant players as well as hard of hearing and visually impaired young people, with both venues set up to support all participants.

Bryn, Haringey Team Manager from Haringey, shared: “LYG Boccia is a great opportunity, it makes such a difference to the young people – it’s the highlight of their year. It’s so nice seeing the participants from our borough building a community together and interacting.”

Mr Williams from All Saints School in Barking and Dagenham added: “It’s been absolutely brilliant. It’s fantastic to see the young children have such a good experience around sport. I really like the fact it’s so inclusive, and they get to play sports that they wouldn’t generally get to play in school as well. It’s a really, really nice atmosphere.”

Enfield Team Manager said: “LYG Boccia is very inclusive, so it gives them the opportunity to play against other students and schools that we never normally would play against in a very friendly, caring, lovely environment. Our group have some of the most profound learning difficulties, yet they can take part and it’s accessible for them to play, so it’s amazing.”

The Inclusive and ParaGames programme is proudly supported by Chaotic Community. Their support helps to expand access to inclusive sports for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring more SEND athletes can experience the transformative benefits of sport and physical activity. The competition was also supported by officials from Boccia England, which included GB boccia paralympic gold medal winner in 2012, Dan Bentley. Young leaders from two schools officiated the matches, developing their leadership, communication and teamwork skills in a practical setting.

At the East Event, Hackney claimed gold, with Barking and Dagenham taking silver and Bexley securing bronze.

In the West Event, Wandsworth earned gold, followed by Hillingdon with silver and Kensington and Chelsea with bronze.

Finalists from each event have now been invited to compete in a Boccia finale as part of the London Youth Games Schools Festival on Friday 3rd July where they will also have the chance to experience a wide range of other sports on offer.

Well done to the Open Games winners of each competition:

Boccia East Event:

Gold – Hackney

Silver – Barking and Dagenham

Bronze – Bexley

Boccia West Event:

Gold – Wandsworth

Silver – Hillingdon

Bronze – Kensington and Chelsea