OREANDA-NEWS. September 14, 2012. Russian Boccia winners, under the auspices of MegaFon, will visit the Paralympics in London on 6 to 10 September. They will attend the competitions with the Russian athletes and see the London's most popular sights and enjoy the closing ceremony of the Paralympiad.

The Russian boccia championship for handicapped athletes took place in April 2012. Thirty-seven athletes from 10 to 21 years old waged a contest in the seven programs. The tournament was organized by the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy under the auspices of MegaFon. Junior winners were awarded by MegaFon a trip to the London Paralympics.

"We do a lot to support the Paralympic sports. MegaFon's partnership to the Russian Boccia Championship is another contribution to the development of the Paralympic movement in this country. For the young people who find stamina to train on a regular basis and take part in competitions despite the physical challenge this trip to London will be a good shot in the arm to pursue higher goals,"said Elena Aleksandrova, head of corporate communications of MegaFon. "We seek to involve as many fans as possible to support the Russian athletes and get inspired by their will and striving for victory."

Boccia is one of the ancient ball games; it was included in the program of the Paralympic Games in 1994. It is one of the few sports that enables athletes with the most serious cerebral palsy problems to show their worth. In Russia, boccia as a sport has begun its active development fairly recently – the first championship took place in October 2009 and in December of the same boccia went into the national register of sports.