Pétanque in Mauritius

Mauritius fields one of the Indian Ocean's most established pétanque scenes, built on a national federation more than four decades old. The island won the World Championship's Nations Cup in 2024, produced a world precision-shooting medalist in Parvez Khodabaccus, and in 2026 hosted the inaugural Zone 4 African Championship for the Indian Ocean sub-region.

History

Organized pétanque on the island dates to 1982, when the Association de Pétanque de l'Île Maurice (APIM) was founded by Hans Gunness and Mme Tanguy Chettiar to bring formal structure to what had until then been informal neighborhood tournaments. The national federation, today known as the Fédération de Boules de Maurice, is headquartered at Stade George V in Forest Side and led by president Radhakrishansingh Rajkoomar; it joined the FIPJP in 1989 and now oversees between 1,100 and 1,200 licensed players. Mauritius holds an unusual dual confederation status: it was a founding member of the Asian Petanque and Sports Boules Confederation (APSBC) when that body formed in 1997 alongside Cambodia, Israel, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Seychelles, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, while also competing today through the African Confederation of Boules Sports (CASB), whose roughly two dozen members include most of Mauritius's Indian Ocean and African rivals. That confederation's own name has been disputed since January 2024, when a faction of member federations voted to rename it the Confédération Africaine de Sport Pétanque (CASP); a May 21, 2026 Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling restored recognition to the original CASB leadership, though a rival CASP leadership was elected days later, leaving the body's structure contested as of mid-2026.

World Championship: The 2024 Nations Cup

At the World Championships in Dijon, France (5-8 December 2024), the Mauritian squad of Aman Beetun, Parvez Khodabaccus, Lallchand Ramlall, and Fabrice Vincent won the Coupe des Nations (Nations Cup) - the tournament's parallel event for teams eliminated from the main Men's Triples draw - going 8-4 through the competition and beating French Polynesia's Tahiti selection in the final. In the individual precision-shooting event at the same championships, Khodabaccus reached the semifinal before losing to Hungary's László Nagy, taking the bronze medal.

Regional Success: Indian Ocean Games and Hosting Zone 4

Mauritius has also medaled at the continent's Indian Ocean multi-sport event. At the Jeux des Îles de l'Océan Indien (Indian Ocean Games) in Madagascar in 2023, Khodabaccus won gold in precision shooting, and the Mauritian doubles pair of Sunil Sumooreeah and Salim Sookharry took silver after beating a rival pair in the semifinal before losing the final to a Madagascar selection.

Mauritius also fielded a doubles pair at the 10th African Championship in Mauritania (Nouakchott, 22-28 November 2025), losing 12-7 in the group stage to Madagascar's Andry Salohy Randrianaivo and Mirija Solonantenaina Rakotoson, who went on to reach the semifinal unbeaten before losing to eventual champions Senegal.

In May 2026, Mauritius hosted the inaugural Zone 4 (Indian Ocean) African Championship, welcoming Madagascar and a Djiboutian delegation to compete across singles, doubles, triples, and precision shooting. Madagascar swept all four gold medals against combative Mauritian teams, with Mauritius qualifying for the continental Interzone stage planned for later in 2026.

The Mauritian Pétanque Scene

National championships are generally held on courts near the Quorum shopping and entertainment complex in Rose-Hill, and the federation has petitioned the Ministry of Youth and Sports for a dedicated national boulodrome to replace the makeshift arrangement. Clubs affiliated with the Fédération de Boules de Maurice compete in regular national tournaments feeding selection for the African and World Championship squads, continuing a competitive tradition that traces back to APIM's founding in 1982.