Bocce

Bocce

Bocce players scoring a match, 2005
Highest governing body	Fédération Internationale de Boules
Nicknames	Bocci
First played	18th century in Italy
Characteristics
Contact	Non-contact
Team members	Singles and doubles
Mixed-sex	Yes, separate tours and mixed doubles
Type	Ball games
Equipment	Bocce (balls) and pallino (jack)
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	No
Paralympic	No
World Games	No

Bocce (/ˈbɒtʃi/,^[1][2] or /ˈbɒtʃeɪ/,^[3] Italian: [ˈbɔttʃe]), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball,^[4] bocci,^[5] or boccie,^[1] is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British bowls and French pétanque, with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. Bocce is played around Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in overseas areas with historical Italian immigrant population, including Australia, North America, and South America, principally Argentina and the southern Brazilian states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Initially only played by Italian immigrants, the game has slowly gained popularity among descendant generations and outside the Italian diaspora.^{[citation needed]}