Understanding Paralympic Classification

athletes with a disability may experience a competitive disadvantage taking part in sport that is why a system has been put in place to minimize the impact of impairments on the sport performance and to provide a framework for a fair and equitable competition this system is called classification classification determines who is eligible to compete in parasport and groups eligible athletes with similar activity limitations into sport classes to compete against each other currently there are 10 eligible impairments considered for parasport eight of these are physical impairments one vision impairment and one intellectual impairment some athletes might have been born with a disability while some might have acquired it later in life there are different levels of impairment that can vary greatly those impairments can range from one limb being affected to all limbs and trunk being impacted you will notice that athletes within each class might have different types of impairment however their impairments affect the sport performance to a similar extent the impact of impairments on each sporting discipline can vary accordingly for this reason the classification system is specific to each sport the number of classes also varies in each sport some sports have only one class while other sports have multiple classes there are two levels of classification national and international athletes competing in ireland must undergo national classification carried out by paralympics ireland in conjunction with the national governing body for each sport this evaluation mirrors the international system as much as possible athletes should always be nationally classified before undergoing international evaluation athletes must go through an international classification when they start competing at international level the evaluations are then carried out by the international federation of each sport the classification process is divided into the following steps 1. athletes must provide medical documentation relevant to their impairment in advance of classification two athletes that have an eligible impairment are invited to attend a face-to-face evaluation evaluation consists of an impairment-specific physical assessment and a sport-specific technical assessment three athletes must give their best effort during the process some athletes might also be required to be observed in competition if an athlete is found to be ineligible for a parasport this does not question the presence of a genuine impairment it is a sport ruling athletes are encouraged to remain engaged in sports and physical activity athletes with a disability dedicate years of hard work and training to become an elite athlete and compete at the paralympic games if you're interested in beginning your journey to the paralympic games contact the sports national governing body to find out the opportunities available for you please find further information on classification and paralympic sports on paralympics.ie or contact us on classification at paralympics.ie