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.