If you ever traveled to Paris or a coastal town in Spain, Italy or Croatia you have probably seen this sport played usually by elderly men in parks or as called in Boka - “zog”. Zog is the field where buće (bocce) is played, and it is a narrow sandy path where two teams compete against each other. The game is played until one of the teams reach 2 wins, i.e. 21 points in one game. If there is a tie, 1:1, then the third game is played, which lasts until one team wins 15 points. This usually takes hours, therefore, there is also a break, usually after the first game when the competitors have dinner beside the court. The audience relaxes and has drinks while cheering for their favorite team. It is a great place for socializing and having fun in the open until late at night.
In Tivat, the Olympics in Bućanje is organized every summer, at a different zog in the town. Recently, only the zog in Donja Lastva is set up for this, so the Olympics have taken place there for the past couple of years. In the winter there are organized tournaments in the closed zog in Kalimanj.
This year’s 63rd Olympics started on July 21, opened by the president of the Municipality Buća Committee Ilija Janovic. There were 54 teams in total taking part in the competition this year.
Last year’s winner was the team “Palma 2” which played a friendly match at the opening ceremony with this year’s host “Mladost”.
The semi-finals are currently ongoing, scheduled for Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th. The big finale will be played on Saturday 1st September (all begin at 6 p.m.).
The first semi-final game is played by “Vrmac” against “Auto moto” and the second one between “Majestic” and “No name”. The interesting fact is that this year the teams made up of veterans of this sport have not made it to the semifinal, so we can conclude that buće is continuing to be played by the young generations and the tradition is well-kept.
Therefore, if you're in Tivat next Saturday, join the locals in cheering while having a few drinks and listening to the nice Mediterranean music at the zog in Donja Lastva. It will be a great, unique and genuine experience. And if you are up to it, someone could tell you how the game is played so you can throw a buća or two at the auxiliary zog and maybe practice during the winter with your own team in the Olympics next summer, even just for fun.
Text by Vanja Skanata, photos Radio Tivat
