Classification of the Games

-

Classification

All sports of the Paralympics work very hard against individuals with similar disabilities as themselves to play in the games, but, everyone has a different disability and it affects them in a different way; therefore, they would have to get classified in order to be in the correct sport class that meets their level of disability. The International Paralympic Committee explains classification and how "...it determines which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped together for competition. In Para sports, athletes are grouped by the degree of activity limitation resulting from the impairment" (International Paralympic Committee). The committee compares Paralympic classification to general classifications which uses gender, weight, and age to classify athletes into groups.

Athletes, regardless of the level of disability they have, should be allowed to be evaluated in order to be classified for every sport. I think that classification for athletes with any type of disability definitely is a must; although, since athletes are most likely playing for one sport, maybe two, they should only be classified for those sports - why put them through extra, unnecessary testing for other sports, when they do not need it. In my opinion, it should be an option whether they want to be classified for every sport, rather than it being mandatory. Athletes should be allowed, but not forced to be classified for every sport there is.

ParalympicsGB | Classification

"Classification determines which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how those athletes are then grouped together for competition in order to minimise the impact of the athletes' impairments on sport performance. This is done to safeguard the integrity of fair competition" (World Para Athletics, 2023).


The Paralympic Games were created after the Olympic Games for individuals with disabilities who physically were not able to participate in the sports/events that the Olympic Games held. Since these games were made specifically for those with disabilities, they should stay that way. I believe that everyone else should not be able to partake in the Paralympics, unless they have a disability or impairment and are classified into a group that is eligible to compete in the Paralympics. The Paralympics give people with disabilities a chance to compete and bring home the gold to their own countries. Taking it back to the 1940's, German Neurologist, Ludwig Guttman, started these games because he "was looking for a way to help his paraplegic patients, all World War II veterans, rehabilitate more quickly" (The History of the Paralympic Games). This shows Guttman's point that he wanted a way for those who could not perform physically, to have an equal opportunity to perform against athletes like them.

Classification is the answer to the question of how a fair playing field is created with so many different disabilities. The reason why para athletes are able to participate fairly in their sport, is mainly because of classification. There are a numerous amount of categories that they get tested in, in order to be placed in the right division. 

The Steps to Classification

1. Determine if the athlete has an eligible impairment

  • Must have a permanent eligible impairment out of the ten impairments

2. Determine if the athlete meets the sports minimum impairment criteria
  • These criteria are specific for each sport
3. Determine the athletes sport class
  • There are over 50 sport classes
  • Different impairments cause limitations for a sport
  • Determined by a classification panel
(International Paralympic Committee)

*Intentional misrepresentation is not allowed during an athletes classification exam as it can cause them to be disqualified from the competition.*    

Explainer: what is 'classification' at the Paralympics?

References

IPC classification - paralympic categories & how to qualify. International Paralympic Committee. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.paralympic.org/classification

Mainguy, M. (2022, September 1). The history of the Paralympic Games. Paris 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-history-of-the-paralympic-games/

World Para Athletics Classification & Categories. International Paralympic Committee. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.paralympic.org/athletics/classification


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Inspiration? More Like Admiration!

-
Image
    P eople all over the world see disabled people in different lights, and although people like to use them as " inspiration ", the more proper (and preferred) term would be, " admiration ".   Disabled means one has a physical or mental condition affecting day-to-day abilities in the senses and body functions.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's  'Disability and Health Promotion' page, "61 million adults in the United States live with a disability" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).  That is a huge chunk of people out of everyone and that is just in the United States alone.  Watching Stella Young's "I'm Not Your Inspiration" video made me view disabilities from a different point of view. I began to understand how disabled people should be respected and acknowledged for their accomplishments, and that they are not for people to get inspiration from.  Typically, one of the first word
Read more

'Para'lympics

-
Image
 ~'Para'lympic~      Paralympic.  When you hear that word, what does it mean to you?   Do you think of the famous worldwide games or is there something else that you think of?   When hearing this word for the first time, I knew that it was the Olympic games but was created directly for the disabled so that they can train and participate as anyone else would in sporting events.   When I hear the prefix “para,” my mind directly goes to the word “paralyzed.”  Being paralyzed is one of the many disabilities that people have, except that it does not define the disabled community as a whole since other disabilities exist.   After further research, the prefix “para” means next to or beside, sort of like an assist.   Learning this, if you look at the Olympics and Paralympics side by side, the Paralympics are similar, however, are the games that need assistance.   In other words, the Paralympics are considered “parallel” to the Olympics, meaning they go hand in hand and mirror each othe
Read more