No time to lose in a boccia game

Aloysius and dad know they have to be on the ball and on the same wavelength in this sport

Kagan Gan, as ramp assistant, helping his son Aloysius in a game of boccia where Aloysius has to plan the strategy in double quick time and signal his father to set up the ramp accordingly before he propels the ball.
Kagan Gan, as ramp assistant, helping his son Aloysius in a game of boccia where Aloysius has to plan the strategy in double quick time and signal his father to set up the ramp accordingly before he propels the ball. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
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Six minutes can be an eternity in sport. In that span, German football club Wolfsburg saw a 1-0 lead become a 1-4 deficit in 2015 as Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski bundled in four of his five goals.

But it is no time at all for boccia player Aloysius Gan, who has to size up the field of play, make a decision and communicate it to his father-cum-ramp-assistant Kagan six times over the course of a round, also known as an end in boccia.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 08, 2018, with the headline No time to lose in a boccia game. Subscribe