Boules
Family of French bowling sports — boule lyonnaise, boule de fort and pétanque are the main variants.
👥1 per team🌤outdoor
What is Boules?
Boules is the collective name for a family of French bowling sports played on gravel, packed earth or purpose-built strips. The main variants are boule lyonnaise, boule de fort (Anjou), jeu provençal and pétanque. All share the same basic aim — finish closest to the target — with distinctive stance, movement and equipment rules.
Quick facts
Category
Precision Sports
Type
Individual
Players
1 per team
Where played
outdoor
Country of origin
🇫🇷 France
Estimated origin
Ancient Mediterranean; formal codification 19th–20th century France
Olympic
No
Popularity
major
Sources & provenance
Last verified 2026-08-20.verified