Francis Rombouts

Francis Rombouts (born 11 February 1984) is a Belgian Paralympic boccia player of Indian descent. He competes in classification BC2.

Biography Rombouts was born in India with cerebral palsy and was adopted at the age of 18 months by a Belgian family. He is a member of Spinnaker in Ekeren, Belgium, a sporting club associated with Heder, an institution for children, youngsters and adults with a mental or physical disability. His chosen nickname is "Blackjack", a reference to the white ball or "jack" associated with Boccia and the dark colour of his skin.

Rombouts considers his 2nd place at the European Championships in 2005 to be his best performance ever.

His best result at the Boccia World Championships came in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when he finished just outside the medals losing in the bronze medal match to world number 2, Thailand's Watcharaphon Vongsa.

Rombouts' big dream, to qualify for Summer Paralympics, was thwarted in 2000 and 2004 but became a reality after he returned to the sport in 2017 when he was selected for the 2020 and 2024 Summer Paralympics. In Tokyo, he was eliminated at the group stage after losing his first two games, the second one against world number 1, Thailand's Worawut Saengampa.