India’s boccia trailblazer: Sachin Chamaria’s journey of resilience

India’s adaptive sports terrain has found a trailblazing athlete in Sachin Chamaria, a six-time National Champion and the nation’s highest-ranked BC3 Boccia player.

Sachin sustained a lifelong disability after a road accident in Kolkata in 2008 at the age of 17. The accident left him paralysed from the neck down, involving all of his limbs and his vital bodily functions.

Before the accident, Sachin represented India in martial arts and was a national-level taekwondo champion. He was an avid sports enthusiast and played football and cricket regularly.

How Sachin found Boccia?

Sachin’s ambition to represent India on a global stage was fulfilled when he started playing Boccia. Despite being wheelchair‑bound, he embraced reality and initially experimented with sports such as club throw and discus throw, before realising that Boccia offered him the most promising path to the Paralympics.

In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Chamaria opens up about his journey, the challenges of pursuing a little‑known sport in India, and his ambitions on the world stage.

Sachin revealed that he first discovered Boccia in 2018 through a physiotherapist who recognised his passion for sports and suggested he try the game. The game’s intrigue led him to reach out to the Boccia Federation of India, learn the rules and start competing.

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“Boccia was introduced in India around 2018 or 19. Otherwise, in Paralympics, it has been played since 1984. So, one of my physiotherapists came to know about this game, and he told me, ‘Since you are always into sports, why don’t you try this game? You’ll be able to play it. It suits your category, and the game is totally based for people like you.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll have a look, and I’ll read about it.’

“So, I read about this game, and I found it quite interesting when I read it. So, I contacted the Boccia Federation of India. I asked them how I can play, what do I have to do to play, how to approach it, and things. So, they came to my place; they told me about the game, what all things are there, how does it happen, doesn’t happen. So, that is how I came to know about the game, and that is how I started playing this game,” he said.

What started as curiosity quickly became a mission to represent India internationally.

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The road for Sachin, however, was far from easy. With zero infrastructure, limited awareness and lack of government restriction, he had to self-fund his participation in global tournaments.

“In India, there is no infrastructure where you can play, and since people don’t know about this game, if there is a sports complex or a sports club near your house or in your locality, if you go there and talk to them or ask them, they don’t understand because it’s a basketball court or someone’s court. So, they say that when those players come, where will they play?

So, for that, I had to look for my place. So, these are the basic challenges, you know. When a game is new, it doesn’t have an infrastructure. So, it is very difficult for that to adjust to the game practice. Be it any sport, if you don’t practice regularly, you cannot become good at that particular sport. And then, the government hasn’t recognised this sport yet.

“All the championships I have participated in, apart from the Asian Games in Hong Kong, that was government sponsored because it was the Asian Games. But otherwise, I have been to any of the previous World Challengers or World Cups or anything, that I have won at my own expense. And as you know, I play with a ramp operator, and I need an escort with me and myself.

“So, a person’s expense is Rs. 2.5-3 lakhs. So, minimum to participate in one tournament, I require Rs. 10 lakhs. Just think about how many people in India can afford to buy this on their own profit,” Sachin said to Firstpost.

Sachin’s big ambitions

Guided by his dream of seeing India on the Paralympics podium, Sachin drew strength from his resilience and financial independence. He said that Boccia offered 36 medals at the Paralympics, and India’s absence from the sport meant falling behind global giants such as China and the US in medal tallies.

“Since the beginning only, my dream has always been to represent India at an international level. Had I not met with this accident, then probably in Taekwondo, I would have been representing India at a global stage. So, that is why, when I took up Boccia, luckily, by God’s grace, I am financially capable of meeting the expenses and everything.

“So, that has been my aim that I want to see either me or any other Indian, basically India, participating in this sport and on the top level, at the Paralympic level. Because this game has almost 36 medals to be won. So, if you don’t participate in one game, you are already down by 36 medals as compared to other countries.

“If you are not participating in the sport, if your athletes are not representing, then obviously you will never be able to match China and US in the medal tally,” he said.

Sachin’s mission is clear: to ensure India is not left out of this opportunity.

Despite the odds, Sachin remains unfazed by pressure and considers himself privileged to represent India in a sport where other nations have 40 years of experience as compared to India (8 years). Every tournament is a learning curve — a chance to observe, adapt, and grow.

“I don’t feel any pressure for two reasons. First of all, I consider myself very privileged and lucky that I have this opportunity to represent India in this particular sport, where the rest of the countries have been playing since 1984. We have never played in India. We don’t know much about it. We don’t have much experience. So, even participating, playing, and challenging the best players in the world itself gives you a morale boost, boosts your confidence, and everything.

“Secondly, as I mentioned, they have much more experience. They have been playing this game since 1984, so they have 40 years of experience. We have played this game in India for only 8 years. There is no proper infrastructure, no proper coaches, no proper training. We are basically evolving. We are learning this game.

The more tournaments I participate in, the more I learn from the best of the best. I see what they are doing, what their routine is like, how they practice. I still remember my earlier tournaments. I had no idea how they play or what kind of practice they do. For 4 years, India had no medal at the international stage because we didn’t have that exposure or experience.

“As I started participating in these tournaments, I always came back and incorporated whatever I learned into my training regimen. As a player, it helped me grow and understand the game better. Going forward, the more tournaments I play and the better players I face, the more my game will improve,” Sachin said.

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Sachin’s preparation for the World Championships in Seoul has been bolstered by Portuguese coach David Henriques, who trained him daily for six to eight hours, sharpening his skills against dynamic scenarios that make Boccia akin to chess.

“In one of the competitions, I met with a Portuguese coach, Mr David Henriques, and we became friends. One day, I emailed him and asked for guidance, explaining that I was a new player with little experience, and that coaches in India also lacked expertise since the game was only recently introduced here. He immediately agreed to help.

“For the upcoming World Championship in Seoul, he even came to India a month early just to train me. Under his guidance, I’ve been practicing daily — spending six to eight hours on court from late morning until evening.

“Unlike sports such as javelin, discus, or archery, which can be practiced alone with support staff, our game — boccia — is highly dynamic. The jacks move freely, the field of play changes constantly, and every ball alters the situation, much like a game of chess where each move creates a new scenario.

“Because of this, a sparring partner is essential, ideally someone at your level or even stronger, to provide real competition. Unfortunately, boccia is an expensive sport, and very few people in India have the proper equipment. Even those who do often lack facilities, limiting practice to just a few times a month. This makes it difficult to prepare for international competition, since playing against strong opponents is the only way to truly improve,” he explained.

For Chamaria, even being invited to the World Championships is historic. He is the first Indian ever selected by World Boccia to compete, a feat achieved within just six years of the sport’s introduction in India.

“For us, the world championship in boccia is equivalent to the Paralympics. The points you earn in the Paralympics are mirrored in the world championship — a podium finish (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) brings nearly identical points, with only a minor difference of about 1–1.5 points. Boccia’s world championship also takes place every four years.

“For this event, World Boccia itself selects the players. In other tournaments, federations can recommend participants, but for the world championship, no country can approach on behalf of a player. Because I consistently performed, won medals, and improved in international competitions, my ranking reached a level where I became the first Indian in any category to be invited by World Boccia to participate in the world championship.

“For me, even participating is a huge achievement, something no one from India had done before, and that too within just six years of the sport’s launch here. In other countries, players often train for 10–15 years before earning such opportunities. So, it’s a very big achievement that we’ve managed to reach this stage so quickly.

“At the world championship, you face the same level and quality of athletes as in the Paralympics. The same players, the same experience, and the same competition level. For me, this will be a major learning experience as I prepare for the Paralympics in Los Angeles,” he notes, underscoring the magnitude of his achievement.

Sachin’s accident could have ended his sporting dreams, but it became the turning point that led him to Boccia. His journey from a paralysed teenager to a six-time National Champion highlights the transformative power of adaptive sports.