The recently constituted managing committee of Jharkhand Para Sports Association (JPSA) has chosen Jamshedpur as the venue for its first event to be organised on Thursday.

The bocce competition for students of steel city's special schools will be conducted at Children's Park in Sonari from 8 am to 11.30 am. The event is being organised jointly by Jamshedpur Para Sports Association (an affiliated unit of JPSA) and Jeevika, an NGO working for the promotion of intellectually impaired.

Bocce is played with eight large balls and one smaller target or object ball called a pallina. For one player teams, each player throws four balls. When there are multiple players in a team, a playing rotation is determined at the start of a game and is maintained throughout the entire game.

"We have invited all special schools operating in Jamshedpur. Intellectually, orthopaedically and visually impaired students will be part of the bocce competition," said JPSA secretary Avtar Singh.

According to him, the event will generate interest among the challenged. "We have started organising an event with Jamshedpur as a venue. We will subsequently conduct similar competitions, including other disciplines as well, across different districts of Jharkhand," added Singh, also president of Jamshedpur Para Sports Association (JPSA).

Two students each from invited special schools will take part in the competition. "We are expecting around 30 students (boys and girls)," he said.

Singh, a seven-time national cycling champion who has also captained the Indian team in 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, said the venue has been decked up for the competition. "Marking would be done before the start of the event. Special students would enjoy the competition," he added.

The organisers have invited deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Babban Singh as the chief guest.

Sonari-based Jeevika has been conducting bocce competitions for years and the JPSA thought it wise to include it as joint organiser. “Joining hands with Jeevika would help us in conducting the event in a hassle-free manner. We would also like to work with the NGO while organising future events,” a JPSA functionary said.

The state para sports outfit will be working at the grassroots in village, panchayat, block, district and state level to promote the challenged and help them win medals in national and international competitions.