London Youth Games welcomed over 200 young people to compete in the Paralympic sport boccia over two venues – Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and Osterley Sports Centre – on 26th and 27th February 2025. The event, which covered both Open Games and School Games, displayed our commitment to ensuring all young people have the chance to take part in sport.

A total of 22 boroughs competed across the Open Games, while 18 boroughs took part in the School Games. This gave young athletes the opportunity to connect with others, build confidence and show pride for their borough. It’s important to recognise the incredible effort from Borough Team Managers and School staff who work hard to make it possible for the young people to attend these events.  Also, we are hugely grateful to young leaders from Sydney Russell, Alexandra Park and Garrat Park who officiated the matches with maturity and precision.

Sport can change young people’s lives, especially for those who don’t often get the chance to compete in mainstream sport and can often feel isolated as a result. This is so vital as a study by The Children’s Society found 66% of children aged 10-17 experienced at least one measure of loneliness “some of the time” or “often.”

“This event has given us the opportunity to provide Boccia sessions in school in the lead up to this event. The children don’t get many sporting activities, so this has been a really nice and different experience for them.” – Amelia Vincent, Kensington and Chelsea teacher.

Each boccia match brought young people from different schools together, encouraged teamwork, and created a fully inclusive environment for everyone. Some schools enjoyed the experience so much that they planned to meet again for future games.

Olatz, PE Coordinator at Perseid School in Merton said: “It’s been really inclusive, all of the children feel included during the games. They had lots of fun, socialised with other kids and we’ve also made links with other schools with children that have the same needs as them. The event’s been perfect for them.”

A big thank you to all the boroughs for their commitment to bringing their teams. Well done to all the young people who took part and a special congratulations to the medal winners.

Open Games (East): 

Gold: Hackney

Silver: Bexley

Bronze: Havering

Open Games (West)

Gold: Lambeth

Silver: Merton

Bronze: Wandsworth

School Games (East):

Gold: Enfield

Silver: Barking

Bronze: Greenwich

School Games (West)

Gold: Hounslow

Silver: Richmond

Bronze: Brent