Paralympic Classification

Introduction Imagine you are about to compete in the biggest  race of your life. You are proud of what an accomplishment it is to even get here. All of  your hard work has come down to this moment. Trying to shake off your nerves, you glance at the  other athletes coming to the start. You begin to notice they have more capabilities than you. While  you may have trained harder than all of them, their physical structure grants them a distinct  advantage you can't attain. Realizing you have lost the race before you have even started,  your face falls. It feels painfully as if they have cheated even though everyone is following the  rules. Disappointed, you wonder if there is any way to find a more equal  starting line at your level of competition. The purpose of Paralympic classification  is to create that equal starting line. What is classification? What is classification Put simply,  Classification is the system used in  para sports to keep the playing field   more fair and safe by making sure athletes  compete against those with similar abilities   within their disability. Classification strives  to empower those with disabilities who value competitive sport by removing unfair advantage  and bringing real achievements within reach.   It functions much like weight classes in boxing or  wrestling. Those are systems trying to ensure it is skill and not size that is the determining  factor in victory. It would not be fair or safe to have a 100-pound wrestler taking  on someone over twice their weight.   A similar philosophy is used in classification. Paralympic classification is trying to ensure level of impairment is not a determining factor  of victory. How classification works To quote the World Para Athletics, "The system ensures that athletes do not succeed  simply because they have an impairment that   causes less of a disadvantage than their  competitors, but because of their skill,   determination, tactics, fitness and preparation." It makes sure that the person who is  the best trained wins instead of the   person who is least inhibited by  his or her physical impairment. Every Paralympic sport uses  some type of classification,   and each classification is sport specific. Trained classifiers use their knowledge of sports and medical expertise to determine each individual's  sport class within a specific set of standards. To give a glimpse into how classification works  within a specific sport, let's look at Track   and Field. Para track and field has the largest   number of sport classes and is open  to the most types of disabilities. Track and Field There are 60 total sport classes recognized  by world para athletics and the IPC. Three of those sport classes are race running. The remaining  classes are identified by a letter and two numbers. The letter may be either 'T' or 'F,' which  stand for Track or Field, respectively. The first number is the category of disability. It is one through 6: 1. Visual impairment 2. Intellectual impairment 3. Coordination impairment 4. Standing competitors with short stature,   impaired muscle power, impaired range  of motion, leg length difference,   or limb deficiency (who do not use a prosthetic) 5. Seated competitors with impaired power, impaired range of motion, leg length difference, or limb deficiency. 6. Prosthetic users with a limb  deficiency or leg length difference. The second number is the level of disability. The number of levels differs for each category. For categories involving vision,  muscle power, or range of motion,   the higher the number, the more  function; the lower the number,  the lower the function. For example,  F11 athletes have less vision than  F13 athletes. (The system is slightly different  for the coordination impairment classes.) Classification looks different from  sport to sport but the principle   of creating a more fair and safe  field of play stays the same. Disabilities are so individualized and  complex that classification is imperfect.   There are those who are on the line between  sport classes. There are some who do not   qualify for para sports because their disability  doesn't qualify for the sport they want to play   (For example, judo is only for blind athletes). Some athletes have to be reclassified as their disability changes or progresses. Classification itself is constantly evolving. As sport technology develops and research advances, the classes  sometimes need to change. It is important that any athlete going to classification isn’t afraid of  the process and helps the classifiers by sharing his or her impairments and trying his or her best during all testing. Although classification is by no means faultless, it is a powerful tool  for creating a more equal starting line.