Athlete support

Classification

Key information on classification: what it is and useful links.

Classification is the cornerstone of the Paralympic movement; it determines which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped together for competition.

In Paralympic sports, athletes are grouped by the degree to which their impairment limits their activity. This, to a certain extent, is similar to grouping athletes by age, gender or weight.

Different sports require athletes to perform different activities, such as: sprinting, propelling a wheelchair, rowing and shooting. As sports require different activities, the impact of the impairment on each sport also differs. Therefore, for classification to minimise the impact of impairment on sport performance, classification must be sport specific.

Classification aims to minimise the impact of the impairment on athletes’ performances so that sporting ability alone determines who wins. Ensuring that athletes are classified before competing is crucial to safeguarding the integrity and credibility of competition.

ParalympicsGB explain the classification process below.

ParalympicsGB explain the classification process below (audio described).

Classification process

Classification is carried out by a group of classifiers. Each International Federation (IF) trains and approves classifiers to conduct athlete evaluation in its para-sport.

Classifiers for athletes with a physical impairment are specialist medical and/or technical experts.
Classifiers for athletes with a visual impairment have a background in ophthalmology or optometry.
Classifiers for athletes with an intellectual impairment are psychologists and/or para-sport experts.

When does athlete evaluation happen?

Athlete evaluation takes place several days before international competitions begin.

Depending on the type and severity of the impairment, or in the case of a junior athlete or an athlete with a new impairment, an athlete may be classified several times in their career.