Britain’s paralympic boccia team challenge Boris

It is a game you may not have heard of, yet Britain are currently the world champions at Boccia, a type of boules that was specifically designed for those with cerebral palsy.

Our team took the group gold medal at the Beijing Paralympics, and today, with two years to go to the London 2012 Games, the boccia athletes challenged Boris Johnson to a match, and urged Britain to get behind them.

Using the traditional blue and red balls, they hit the white jack with ease. Boris missed. But then the athletes practice two hours a day, seven days a week, and are paralympic champions.

In fact, at an international level, the British have emerged as quite the talent at this game.

But one of those who made up the mixed team that won the top prize in 2008 told us today that they are among the most physically challenged athletes at the games.

21-year-old David Smith, who is currently at Swansea University studying engineering, has cerebral palsy, and reveals that those with his condition, or similar ones such as muscular dystrophy, often cannot compete at sports such as wheelchair basketball, or swimming.

But that makes them even more celebrated at the Paralympics, especially as their team has excelled at boccia.

He is currently ranked number four in the world.

In just over two years, the Paralympics will return to Britain, where they originated in 1948, and the athletes we spoke to today are hoping for another gold.

Today’s display was watched by potential athletes of tomorrow, youngsters with cerebral palsy, who have started playing boccia at a grassroots level.