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General Rules
Article 1 –
Composition of teams
Pétanque is a sport in which:
- 3 players play against 3 players
(triples).
It can also be played by:
-
2 players against 2 players
(doubles)
- 1 player against 1 player
(singles).
In triples, each player uses
2 boules.
In doubles and singles, each
player uses 3 boules.
No other formula is allowed.
Article 2 –
Characteristics of approved boules
Pétanque is played with
boules approved by the FIPJP and which
conform to the following criteria:
-
To be made of metal.
-
To have a diameter
between 7.05cm (minimum) and 8cm
(maximum).
-
To have a weight of
between 650 grams (minimum) and 800
grams (maximum). The trademark of the
manufacturer and the weight must
be engraved on the boules and must
always be legible.
For competitions reserved
for players who are 11 years of age or
less, they may use boules that weigh
600 grams and are 65mm in diameter
provided that they are made under one of
the approved labels.
-
They must not be lead or
sand filled. As a general rule, the
boules must not be tampered with in any
way, nor altered or modified after
machining by the approved manufacturer.
Importantly, re-tempering of the boules
in order to modify the hardness applied
by the manufacturer is forbidden.
However, the player's
name and forename (or initials) may be
engraved on them, as well as various
logos, initials and acronyms, conforming
to the manufacturer’s specification.
Article 2a – Penalties for irregular boules
Any player guilty of breaking
the above condition (4) is immediately
disqualified from the competition together
with his or her partners.
If a boule not “tampered
with” but worn, or of defective manufacture,
does not pass the official examination
successfully, or does not comply with the
norms set out in paragraphs (1), (2) and (3)
above, the player must change it. He or she
may also change the set.
Complaints relating to these
three paragraphs and made by players are
admissible only before the start of a game.
It is in the interests of the players,
therefore, to ensure that their boules and
those of their opponents comply with the
above rules.
Complaints relating to (4)
are admissible at any time during the game,
but they must be made between ends.
However, from the third end onwards, if a
complaint made about the boules of an
opponent is proved to be unfounded, 3 points
will be added to the score of the opponent.
The Umpire or the Jury may,
at any time, require examination of the
boules of one or several players
Article 3 –
Approved jacks
Jacks are made of wood, or of
a synthetic material bearing the
manufacturer’s mark and having obtained the
FIPJP’s approval in line with the precise
specification relating to the required
standards.
Their diameter must be 30mm
(tolerance: + or – 1mm).
Painted jacks are authorised,
but at no time must the jack be capable of
being picked up with a magnet
Article 4 –
Licences
Before the start of a
competition, each player must present his or
her licence. He or she must also present it
after any request by the Umpire, or by an
opponent, unless it has been retained at the
Control Table.
Play
Article 5 –
Terrain rules
Pétanque is played on any
terrain. However, by a decision of the
Organising Committee or the Umpire, the
teams may be asked to play on a marked
terrain. In this case, the latter must, for
National Championships and International
Competitions, have the following minimum
dimensions: 15m long x 4m wide.
For other competitions the
Federations may permit variations relative
to these minima, subject to their dimensions
not being below 12m x 3m.
When playing areas are placed
end to end, the end lines of the lanes,
which are common to both playing areas, are
classed as dead ball lines.
When the terrains of play are
enclosed by barriers, these must be a
minimum distance of 1 metre from the
exterior line of the playing area.
Games are played to 13
points, with the possibility of leagues and
qualifying heats being played to 11 points.
Certain competitions can be
organised with time limited games.
Article 6 – Start of play – Rules regarding
the circle
The players must toss up to
decide which team will choose the terrain
and be the first to throw the jack.
If the terrain has been
designated by the organisers, the jack must
be thrown on that terrain. The teams
concerned must not go to a different terrain
without the Umpire’s permission.
Any member of the team
winning the toss chooses the starting point
and draws or places a circle on the ground
such that the feet of each player can fit
entirely inside it. However, a drawn circle
may not measure less than 35cm or more than
50cm in diameter. Where a prefabricated
circle is used, it must be rigid and have an
internal diameter of 50cms (tolerance: + or
– 2mm).
Use of the prefabricated
circles is by the decision of the organiser
who must supply them.
This circle, valid for the
three consecutive throws allowed to a team,
must be drawn (or placed) more than a metre
from any obstacle and, for competitions on
open terrains, at least 2 metres from
another throwing circle in use.
The team that is going to
throw the jack must erase all throwing
circles near the one it is going to use.
The interior of the circle
can be completely cleared of grit/pebbles
etc. during the end but must be put back in
good order when the end is over.
The circle is not considered
to be an out of bounds area.
The players feet must be
entirely on the inside of the circle, not
encroach on its perimeter and they must not
leave it or be lifted completely off the
ground until the thrown boule has touched
the ground. No part of the body may touch
the ground outside the circle.
As an exception, those who
are disabled in a lower limb are authorised
to place only one foot inside the circle.
For players throwing from a
wheelchair, at least one wheel (that on the
side of the throwing arm) must rest inside
the circle.
The throwing of the jack by
one member of the team does not imply that
he or she is obliged to be the first to
play.
Article 7 – Valid distances for the thrown
jack
For the thrown jack to be
valid, the following conditions apply:
-
That the distance
separating it from the internal edge of
the circle must be between:
4 metres minimum and 8
metres maximum for Minors.
5 metres minimum and 9
metres maximum for Cadets.
6 metres minimum and 10
metres maximum for Juniors and Seniors.
-
That the throwing circle
must be a minimum of 1 metre from any
obstacle.
-
That the jack must be a
minimum of 1 metre from any obstacle and
from the nearest boundary of an
out-of-bounds area.
-
That the jack must be
visible to the player whose feet are
placed astride the extreme limits of the
interior of the circle and whose body is
absolutely upright. In case of dispute
on this point, the Umpire decides,
without appeal, if the jack is visible.
At the following end the jack
is thrown from a circle drawn or placed
around the point where it finished at the
previous end, except in the following cases:
- The circle would be less
than 1 metre from an obstacle.
- The throwing of the jack
could not be made to all regulation
distances.
In the first case the player
draws or places the circle at the regulation
distance from the obstacle.
In the second case, the
player may step back, in line with the
previous end's play, without exceeding the
maximum distance authorised for the throwing
of the jack. This opportunity is offered
only if the jack cannot be thrown to the
maximum distance in any other direction.
If after three consecutive
throws by the same team, the jack has not
been thrown in accordance with the rules
defined above, it is passed to the opposing
team who also has the right to three tries
and who may move the circle back as
described in the preceding paragraph. In
this case, the circle may not be changed if
this team does not succeed in its three
throws.
The maximum amount of time to
accomplish these 3 tries is one minute.
In any case, the team which
lost the jack after the first three tries
maintains the right to play the first boule.
Article 8 – For the thrown jack to be valid
If the thrown jack is stopped
by the Umpire, a player, a spectator, an
animal or any moving object, it is not valid
and must be thrown again without being
included in the three throws to which the
team or the player is entitled.
If after the throwing of the
jack, a first boule is played, the opponent
still has the right to contest the validity
of its position. If the objection is
recognised as valid, the jack is thrown
again and the boule replayed.
For the jack to be thrown
again both teams must have recognised that
the throw was not valid or the Umpire must
have decided it to be so. If any team
proceeds differently, it loses the benefit
of the throwing of the jack.
If the opponent has also
played a boule, the jack is definitely
deemed valid and no objection is admissible.
Article 9 – Dead Jack during an end
The jack is dead in the
following six cases:
-
When the jack is
displaced into an out-of-bounds area,
even if it comes back on to the
authorised playing area. A jack
straddling the boundary of an authorised
terrain is valid. It becomes dead only
after having completely crossed the
boundary of the authorised terrain or
the dead ball line, that is to say, when
it lies entirely beyond the boundary
when viewed from directly above. A
puddle on which a jack floats freely is
considered to be an out of bounds area.
-
When, still on the
authorised terrain, the moved jack is
not visible from the circle, as defined
in Article 7. However, a jack masked by
a boule is not dead. The Umpire is
authorised to temporarily remove a boule
to declare whether the jack is visible.
-
When the jack is
displaced to more than 20 metres (for
Juniors and Seniors) or 15 metres (for
Cadets and Minors)or less than 3 metres
from the throwing circle
-
When on marked out
playing areas, the jack crosses more
than one lane immediately to the side of
the lane in use and when it crosses
the end line of the lane.
4a.
In timed games on a
"marked" terrain, the jack crosses the
line marking the designated lane.
-
When the displaced jack
cannot be found, the search time being
limited to 5 minutes.
-
When an out-of-bounds
area is situated between the jack and
the throwing circle.
Article 10 – Displacement of obstacles
It is strictly forbidden for
players to press down, displace or crush any
obstacle whatever on the playing area.
However, the player about to throw the jack
is authorised to test the landing point with
one of his or her boules by tapping the
ground no more than three times.
Furthermore, the player who is about to
play, or one of his partners, may fill in a
hole which would have been made by one boule
played previously.
For non-observation of the
rules above, the players incur the penalties
outlined in Article 34 “Discipline”.
Article 10a –
Changing of jack or boule
Players are forbidden to
change the jack or a boule during a game
except in the following cases:
-
The one or the other
cannot be found, the search time being
limited to 5 minutes.
-
The one or the other is
broken: in this case the largest part is
taken into consideration. If boules
remain to be played, the aforementioned
is immediately replaced, after
measuring, if necessary, by a boule or a
jack of identical or similar diameter.
At the next end the player concerned can
take a new complete set.
Jack
Article 11 –
Jack masked or displaced
If, during an end, a leaf or
a piece of paper accidentally masks the jack
these objects are removed.
If the stationary jack is
displaced, by reason of the wind or the
slope of the terrain for example, it is put
back in its original place, on condition
that it had been marked.
The same applies if the jack
is accidentally displaced by the Umpire, a
player, a spectator, a boule or jack coming
from another game, an animal or any moving
object.
To avoid any argument, the
players must mark the jack's position. No
claim can be accepted regarding boules or
jack whose positions have not been marked.
If the jack is moved by a
boule played in this game it is valid.
Article 12 –
Jack moved into another game
If, during an end, the jack
is displaced onto another terrain of play,
marked out or not, the jack is valid subject
to the conditions outlined in Article 9.
The players using this jack
will wait, if there is room, for the players
in the other game to complete their end,
before completing their own.
The players concerned by the
application of this rule must show patience
and courtesy.
At the following end the
teams continue on the terrain which had been
allotted to them and the jack is thrown
again from the place it occupied when it was
displaced, subject to the conditions of
Article 7.
Article 13 – Rules to apply if the jack is
dead
If, during an end, the jack
is dead, one of three cases can apply:
-
Both teams have boules to
play, the end is void.
-
Only one team has boules
left to play, this team scores as many
points as boules that remain to be
played.
-
The two teams have no
more boules in hand, the end is void.
Article 14 –
Positioning the jack after it has been
stopped
-
If the jack, having been
hit, is stopped or deviated by a
spectator or by the Umpire, it remains
in this position.
-
If the jack, having been
hit, is stopped or deviated by a player
in the authorised playing area, his
opponent has the choice of:
-
leaving the jack in
its new position;
-
putting it back in
its original position;
-
placing it anywhere
on the extension of a line going
from its original position to the
place that it is found, up to a
maximum distance of 20 metres from
the circle (15 metres for Cadets and
Minors) and such that it is visible.
Paragraphs b) and c) can
only be applied if the position of the
jack was previously marked. If this was
not the case, the jack will remain where
it is found.
If, after having been
struck, the jack travels into an
out-of-bounds area before returning,
finally, on to the playing area, it is
classed as dead and the actions defined
in Article 13 apply.
Boules
Article 15 – Throwing of the first and
following boules
The first boule of an end is
thrown by a player belonging to the team
that has won the toss or has been the last
to score. After that, it is the team that
does not hold the point that plays.
The player must not use any
object or draw a line on the ground to guide
him/her in playing a boule or mark its
landing point. Whilst playing his or her
last boule, it is forbidden to carry a boule
in the other hand.
The boules must be played one
at a time.
Any boule thrown cannot be
replayed. However, boules must be replayed
if they have been stopped or deviated
accidentally from their course between the
throwing circle and the jack by a boule or
jack coming from another game, or by an
animal or any moving object (football, etc.)
and in the case defined in Article 8, second
paragraph.
It is forbidden to moisten
the boules or jack.
Before throwing his/her boule,
the player must remove from it any trace of
mud or whatever deposit, under threat of
penalties outlined in Article 34.
If the first boule played
goes out-of-bounds, it is for the opponent
to play first then alternately so long as
there are no boules on the designated
terrain.
If after shooting or pointing
no boules are left on the designated playing
area, the arrangements concerning a dead end
as defined in Article 28 apply.
Article 16 – Behaviour of players and
spectators during a game
During the regulation time
allowed for a player to throw a boule the
spectators and players must observe total
silence.
The opponents must not walk,
nor gesticulate nor do anything that could
disturb the player about to play. Only his
or her team-mate/s may remain between the
throwing circle and the jack.
The opponents must remain
beyond the jack or behind the player and, in
both cases, to the side with regard to the
direction of play and at a distance of at
least 2 metres the one from the other.
The players who do not
observe these regulations could be excluded
from the competition if, after a warning
from the Umpire, they persist in their
conduct.
Article 17 – Throwing of the boules and
boules going outside the terrain
Absolutely no-one may, as a
test, throw his/her boule during the game.
Players who do not observe this rule could
be penalised as set out in the chapter
“Discipline”, Article 34
During the course of an end,
boules going outside the marked terrain are
valid (except as in the application of
Article 18).
Article 18 –
Dead boules
Any boule is dead from the
moment that it enters an out-of-bounds
area. A boule straddling the boundary line
of the authorised playing area is valid.
The boule is dead only after having
completely crossed the boundary of the
allotted playing area, that is to say, when
it is situated entirely beyond the boundary
when viewed from directly above. The same
applies when, on marked terrains, the boule
completely crosses more than one of the
lanes alongside the lane in use or when it
crosses the end line of the lane.
In timed games played on a
marked terrain a boule is considered dead
when it completely crosses the line of the
designated lane.
If the boule then comes back
into the playing area, either because of the
slope of the ground or by having rebounded
from an obstacle, moving or stationary, it
is immediately
taken out of the game and
anything that it has displaced after its
passage into an out-of-bounds area is put
back in place.
Any dead boule must
immediately be removed from the game. By
default it will be considered to be live the
moment another boule is played by the
opposing team.
Article 19 –
Stopped boules
Any boule played that is
stopped or deviated by a spectator or the
Umpire, will remain where it comes to rest.
Any boule played, that is
stopped or deviated accidentally by a player
to whose team it belongs, is dead.
Any boule pointed that is
stopped or deviated accidentally by an
opponent, can, according to the wishes of
the player, be replayed or left where it
comes to rest.
When a boule shot, or hit is
stopped or deviated accidentally by a
player, the opponent may:
-
leave it where it
stopped;
-
place it on the extension
of a line which starts from the original
position it occupied to the place it is
found, but only on the playable area and
only on condition that it had been
marked.
-
The player purposely
stopping a moving boule is immediately
disqualified, along with his or her
team, for the game in progress.
Article 20 – Time allowed to play
Once the jack is thrown each
player has the maximum duration of one
minute to play his or her boule. This short
period starts from the moment when the
previous boule or jack stops or, if it is
necessary to measure a point, from the
moment the latter has been effected.
The same requirements apply
to the throwing of the jack, which is 1
minute for the 3 throws.
All players not respecting
this rule, incur the penalties outlined in
Article 34 “Discipline”.
Article 21 – Displaced boules
If a stationary boule is
moved by the wind or slope of the ground,
for example, it is put back in its place.
The same applies to any boule accidentally
displaced by a player, an Umpire, a
spectator, an animal or any moving object.
To avoid any dispute, the
players must mark the boules. No claim will
be admissible for an unmarked boule, and the
Umpire will give a decision only in terms of
the position the boules hold on the terrain.
However, if a boule is moved
by a boule played in this game it is valid.
Article 22 – A player throwing a boule other
than his own
The player who plays a boule
other than his own receives a warning. The
boule played is nevertheless valid but it
must immediately be replaced, possibly after
measuring has been done.
In the event of it occurring
again during the game, the guilty player's
boule is disqualified and anything it
displaced is put back in place.
Article 23 – Boules played from the wrong
circle
Any boule thrown from a
circle other than that from which the jack
was thrown is dead and, if marked, anything
that it has displaced in its travel is put
back in place.
However, the opponent has the
right to apply the advantage rule and
declare it to be valid. In this case, the
boule pointed or shot, is valid and anything
it has displaced remains in its place.
Points and Measuring
Article 24 – Temporary removal of boules
In order to measure a point,
it is permitted, after having marked their
positions, to temporarily remove the boules
and obstacles situated between the jack and
the boules to be measured.
After measuring, the boules
and the obstacles which were removed are put
back in place. If the objects cannot be
removed, the measuring is done with the aid
of callipers.
Article 25 – Measuring of points
The measuring of a point is
the duty of the player who last played or by
one of his or her team-mates. The opponents
still have the right to measure after one of
these players.
Whatever positions the boules
to be measured may hold, and at whatever
stage the end may be, the Umpire can be
consulted and his or her decision is final.
Measuring must be done with
appropriate instruments, which each team
must possess. Notably, it is forbidden to
effect measurements with the feet. The
players who do not observe this ruling will
incur the penalties outlined in Article 34
“Discipline”.
Article 26 – Removed Boules
It is forbidden for players
to pick up played boules before the
completion of an end.
At the completion of an end,
all boules picked up before the agreement of
points are dead. No claim is admissible on
this subject.
Article 27 – Displacement of the boules or
the jack
The team, whose player
displaces the jack or one of the contested
boules, while effecting a measurement, loses
the point.
If, during the measurement of
a point, the Umpire disturbs or displaces
the jack or a boule he will make a decision
in an equitable way.
Article 28 –
Boules equidistant from the jack
When the two closest boules
to the jack belong to opposing teams and are
at an equal distance from it, 3 cases can
apply:
-
If the two teams have no
more boules to play the end is dead and
the jack belongs to the team which threw
the jack at the preceding end.
-
If only one team has
boules at its disposition, it plays them
and scores as many points as it has
boules closer to the jack than the
nearest opponent’s boule.
-
If both teams have boules
at their disposition, it is for the team
which played the last boule to play
again, then the opposing team, and so on
alternately until the point belongs to
one of them. When only one team
possesses boules, the arrangements set
out in the preceding paragraph apply.
If, after completion of
the end, no boules remain within the
boundary of the authorised playing area,
the end is null and void.
Article 29 – Foreign bodies adhering to the
boules or jack
Any foreign bodies adhering
to the boules or the jack must be removed
before measuring a point.
Article 30 – Complaints
To be considered, any
complaint must be made to the Umpire. As
soon as the game is finished, no complaint
can be made.
Each team is responsible for
checking of the opposing team (licences,
category, terrain, boules, etc.).
Discipline
Article 31 –
Penalties for absent teams or players
At the time of the draw and
the announcement of its result, the players
must be present at the control table. A
quarter of an hour after the announcement of
these results, the team which is absent from
the terrain will be penalised one point
which is awarded to their opponents. This
time limit is reduced to 5 minutes in games
that are timed.
After this time limit, the
penalty accrues by one point for each five
minutes of the delay.
The same penalties apply
throughout the competition, after each
random draw and in the case of a re-start of
games after a break for any reason
whatsoever.
The team which does not
present itself on the playing area within
the hour of the start or restart of games is
declared to be eliminated from the
competition.
An incomplete team has the
right to start a game without waiting for
its absent player; nevertheless it does not
use the boules of that player.
No player may absent
him/herself from a game or leave the
terrains of play without the authorisation
of the Umpire. If this has not been
granted, the arrangements outlined in this
article and that following apply.
Article 32 – Late arrival of players
If, after an end has started,
the missing player arrives, he or she does
not take part in this end. He or she is
accepted into the game only as from the
following end.
If a missing player arrives
more than one hour after the start of a
game, he or she loses all rights to
participate in that game.
If his or her team-mates win
this game, he or she will be able to
participate in that which follows provided
that he or she was originally registered
with that team.
If the competition is played
in leagues, he or she will be able to take
part in the second game whatever the result
of the first.
An end is considered as
having started when the jack has been placed
on the playing area in accordance with the
Rules.
Article 33 – Replacement of a player
The replacement of a player
in Doubles, or of one or two players in
Triples, is permitted only up to the
official announcement of the commencement of
the competition (gun, whistle, announcement,
etc.), on condition that the replacement/s
was/were not previously registered in the
competition as belonging to another team.
Article 34 –
Penalties
For non-observation of the
rules of the game the players incur the
following penalties:
-
Warning;
-
Disqualification of the
boule played or to be played;
-
Disqualification of the
boule played or to be played and the
following one;
-
Exclusion of the
responsible player for the game;
-
Disqualification of the
team responsible;
-
Disqualification of the
two teams in case of complicity.
Article 35 – Bad weather
In the case of rain, any end
started must be completed, unless a contrary
decision is made by the Umpire, who alone is
qualified, with the Jury, to decide on its
suspension or cancellation in the case of a
“force majeure”.
Article 36 –
New phase of play
If, after the announcement of
a new phase of the competition (2nd round,
3rd round, etc….) certain games have not
ended, the Umpire, after advice from the
Organising Committee, may make any
arrangements or decisions that he judges
necessary for the good running of the
competition.
Article 37 – Lack of Sportsmanship
The teams that argue during a
game, who show lack of sportsmanship and
respect towards the public, the organisers
or the Umpires, will be excluded from the
competition. This exclusion can incur
non-acceptance of the results, as well as
the application of penalties set out in
Article 38.
Article 38 –
Bad behaviour
The player who is guilty of
bad behaviour, or worse, violence towards an
official, an Umpire, another player or a
spectator incurs one or several of the
following penalties, depending on the
seriousness of the offence.
-
Exclusion from the
competition.
-
Withdrawal of licence.
-
Confiscation or
restitution of expenses and prizes.
The penalty imposed on the
guilty player can also be imposed on his or
her team-mates.
Penalty 1 is imposed by the
Umpire.
Penalty 2 is imposed by the
Jury.
Penalty 3 is imposed by the
Organising Committee which, within 48 hours,
sends a report with the expenses and prizes
retained to the Federation’s Organisation
which will decide on their destination.
In all cases, the Chairman of
the Committee for the Federation concerned
will make the final decision.
Decent dress is demanded of
every player. All players that do not
observe these rules will be disqualified
from the competition after a warning from
the Umpire.
Article 39 – Duties of the Umpires
The Umpires designated to
control the competitions are charged to be
on the watch for strict application of the
rules of play and the administration rules
which complete them. They have the
authority to disqualify from the competition
any player or any team who refuses to comply
with their decision.
The spectators with valid or
suspended licences, who, by their behaviour,
are the origin of incidents on the terrain
of play, will be the subject of an Umpire’s
report to the Federal executive. The latter
will summon the guilty party or parties
before a competent Disciplinary Committee
who will decide on the penalties to apply.
Article 40 – Composition and decisions of
the Jury
Any case not provided for in
the rules is submitted to the Umpire who can
refer it to the competition's Jury. This
Jury comprises at least 3 people and at the
most 5 people. The decisions taken by the
Jury in applying this paragraph are without
appeal. In the case of a split vote, the
President of the Jury has the casting vote.
Notes:
-
These Rules have been
approved by the World Congress of the
FIPJP in Daker, Senegal on 14th
November 2008
-
These Rules have been
adopted by Petanque New Zealand on 1st
March 2009 at Wellington.
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