The Game Changers

Claire Taggart: The impact of Boccia – a totally inclusive sport

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Episode notes

‘The most intricate sport nobody’s ever heard of’ – Claire Taggart describing her sport of Boccia. 

With the Paris Paralympics just a few months away, it was fantastic to hear from Claire Taggart, world number one at Boccia, and find out more about this inclusive sport. 

Claire represented Paralympics GB in Rio and Tokyo and became Northern Ireland’s first-ever Boccia world champion in 2022. 

We discover more about this extraordinary sport, which has no Olympic equivalent and is uniquely open to all athletes, regardless of the severity of their physical disability. 

Claire talks incredibly openly about her diagnosis with dystonia as a teenager, its impact on her life, how she went on to find Boccia and the impact it’s had.

It’s a fascinating conversation that covers a wide range of issues, from new gender categorisation in the sport to the challenges of social care funding for disabled people.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production