The throwing of bowls counts among the oldest of all sporting gestures: from ancient Greece, where it was first practiced, it was eventually brought to northern Italy and southern France by the Phoenicians.

Despite the game's popularity throughout the Middle Ages, it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that diverse rules began to emerge and govern the different bowling games: Boule Lyonnaise, Pétanque, Raffa and Lawn Bowls.

They all have in common that bowls, 'boules' in French, are being used to play. These are either made of metal, small (diameter of 8 cm, 800 grams) in size for Pétanque and somewhat bigger for Boule, or of a synthetic material for Raffa. They also share that a considerably smaller bowl – the but, the jack or 'cochonnet' (French for piglet) – is used as the target, and some other fundamentals in terms of the throwing techniques:

The Point , the throwing action in placing one's bowl as close as possible to the jack, is performed from a poised position, with both feet firmly placed inside a small circle in Pétanque or in a wider stance in Boule and Raffa.

The Shot, the action of hurtling one's bowl at that of an opponent in order to clear it out of the way, is performed after a few running strides in Boule and Raffa – or from a stationary position within the thrower's circle in Pétanque.

The Terrain, sport bowls' field of play, is flat, smooth and clearly marked for Boule and Raffa, while in Pétanque it tends to be less defined, shorter and more uneven.

Close to 300 World and Continental Championships have been staged in men's, women's and junior divisions to date. The traditional events in singles, doubles and triples have been complemented with newer events such as the Precision Throw, the ultimate test of a player's qualities in accuracy, and the Progressive Shuttle Throw, an athletic variation to the game of Boule Lyonnaise.

Countries around the northwestern Mediterranean basin – the area which saw the emergence and the early development of boules sports – feature still the highest density of people practicing boules sports: 20 millions in France and Italy alone. Well over 1 million players are licensed in 150 other countries on all continents, with the most significant growth rates currently recorded in South America and Asia.

The governing bodies for the altogether four different disciplines boules sports (Boule Lyonnaise, Pétanque, Raffa and Lawn Bowls) are gathered in the World Confederation of Boules Sports - CMSB.

 Boules sports at The World Games 2005

Boules sports events on the Official Sports Program of The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung:

Boule Lyonnaise Individual Shuttle Throw (Men, Women); Boule Lyonnaise Precision Throw (Men/Women); Pétanque Doubles (Men, Women); Raffa Doubles (Men, Women)