Pétanque (from pieds tanqués, meaning feet together) was created in La Ciotat, near Marseilles, in 1910, when an elderly boules player, Jules Le Noir, created a new set of rules designed to help those, like him, who had trouble moving

Under the rules you have to be standing still with your feet on the ground when you throw your boule at the porcelet (or jack).

In official competitions, the teams are made up of three players. The pitches must be a minimum of 4m wide and 15m long. The metal boules weigh between 650g and 800g

The boule nearest the porcelet wins the point. The first team to reach 13 points wins the game

18th July 2002 - 1st Pétanque International - Finland vs Rest of the World
26th March 2003 - 2nd Pétanque International - Italy/America vs Canada/Ireland
6th May 2003 - 3rd Pétanque International - England vs Singapore/Ireland
23rd April 2004 - 4th Pétanque International - America vs Cananda vs Ireland

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