Activities for promoting and supporting boccia
Since 2016, we have been conducting a range of initiatives with the aim of having all CAC Group employees maintain links with and contribute to society through activities to promote and support boccia, a sport for people with disabilities.
In addition to providing support as a Gold Partner of the Japan Boccia Association (JBoA), we provide support for boccia tournaments and trial sessions in Japan, and have Group employees who have obtained JBoA accredited referee qualifications officiate at tournaments held around Japan.
Additionally, with the aim of popularizing the sport, we provide support to boccia athletes, hold the CAC Cup student tournament, donate equipment to groups that find it difficult to purchase what is required, and allow the boccia court installed in the head office building to be rented out by the general public.
Athlete Shun Sato
Tournament support
Donation of boccia equipment
Developing of boccia tools utilizing IT
Using IT, Group company CAC has developed Boccia Measure, an Android app available for free on the Google Play store that automatically measures the distance between boccia balls.
Boccia Measure is an Android app that measures the distance between the Jack ball, which is the target ball in Boccia, and colored balls, and displays images and data to help determine winners and losers.
By using a camera function of an Android device to capture an image of the area around the Jack ball from above, the app automatically measures the distances between the Jack and nearby balls.
Running Boccia Tournaments
Since 2017, the CAC Group has sponsored the CAC Cup every year, which is a boccia competition among schools for special needs education located in Tokyo. (The fourth tournament in 2020 was cancelled to prevent the spread of COVID-19.)
In addition to providing the participating students with the opportunity to engage with other schools and learn boccia techniques, competition manners, rules and sportsmanship, we also hold events alongside the main competition to give spectators hands-on experience with boccia, showing them that it is a healthy sport which everyone can enjoy regardless of disability, age or gender.
Also note that the CAC Cup is planned and operated by CAC Group employees themselves, and has become a valuable opportunity for tournament organizers and volunteer participants to experience health and welfare in action.
The CAC Cup (held in September 2019)
Opening up the boccia court to the general public
In July 2019, we set up a regulation-sized boccia court with a TARAFLEX sports floor, as used in major international tournaments, on the first floor of our head office building.
In addition to using the court internally, it is also rented out to the general public, either as a proper practice court for athletes, or as somewhere for members of nearby companies and local residents to socialize or stay healthy.
By providing a barrier-free environment with automatic doors at the court entrance/exit and disabled toilets, the court makes a healthy lifestyle accessible to everyone and also helps create a town which is comfortable to live in.
Boccia court (first floor of head office building)