The Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world – and at their heart lies classification – an essential, but often confusing system.
Represented in some events by a series of letters and numerals in their names, and in others by a number assigned to individual athletes, Paralympic classification sometimes feels like a cipher to decode.
It differs in each sport and event, but across the board, all Paralympic classifications are designed with the same goal in mind: to promote fairness by grouping athletes by the level of impact their impairment has on their chosen sport.
What do the letters and numbers mean?
You'll see combinations of letters and numbers in many sports sitting next to events and athlete's names like T45, F11, or S3 — so what does it stand for?
The letter component of a sports class indicates the particular sport.
For instance, all swimming classes begin with S, in athletics, all track classes start with T, and field classes start with F.
Generally, the number that accompanies that letter refers to the athlete's level or type of impairment.
For instance, if a swimmer is partaking in an S14 race, it means they have an intellectual impairment and in swimming, the lower the number, the higher the level of impairment.
Here's a full breakdown of how classification works in every Paralympic sport.
Impairment types
So, this means that athletes are not classified by their impairment alone.
This is why you may see athletes with different disabilities competing against each other in some sports.
For example, a leg amputee may compete against someone with cerebral palsy, or someone who is short-statured may compete against a wheelchair user.
However, to receive a Para classification, an athlete must fall into one of 10 impairment types, which are either physical, vision or intellectual in nature.
Each sport has its own minimum level of impairment required to receive a classification.
The 10 impairment types are:
See Also
Paris Paralympics 2024: How the classification system worksFlorida State vs Georgia Tech score today: Live updates, highlights from Week 0 gameDylan Crews hits leadoff homer in 3rd career game, helps Nationals to 5-2 win over YankeesSee What Was Revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live
Limb loss/limb difference
Hypertonia (muscle tension)
Ataxia (uncoordinated movements)
Athetosis (involuntary movements)
Short stature
Muscle weakness
Joint movement restriction
Leg length difference
Vision impairment
Intellectual impairment
Some sports, like swimming, are open to all impairment types, some are open to a handful and others, such as blind football or goalball, are open to only one.
The same can be said for the events that a particular sport is comprised of.
For instance, in athletics, the Men’s Shot-put F40 is only open to athletes with short stature, whereas the Women's 800m T53 wheelchair race is open to athletes with any of these four impairment types: limb difference, leg length difference, muscle weakness or joint movement restriction.
Getting classified
Once an athlete has gathered medical documentation of their impairment, they must provide it to their respective National Sporting Organisation (NSO).
From there, an appointment is set up with a panel of sport-specific classifiers.
Athletes must bring all equipment they use for competition, which could be prostheses, bikes, sports chairs, or visual aids.
Athletes then answer a range of questions about their impairment and are put through a variety of tests, dependent on both their condition and chosen sport.
Depending on the athlete's impairment, a technical test will often follow, during which athletes will be observed performing skills relevant to their sport.
Athletes are then designated their sport-specific classification.
If an athlete disagrees with the outcome of their classification, they can challenge the decision through an appeals process.
Likewise, the relevant NSO can protest an athlete's class if they believe they're competing in the wrong class.
Classification is an ongoing process, and some athletes will undergo classification at numerous points throughout their career, and have their classification changed.
Depending on an athlete's sport, classes are used in different ways.
Once an athlete has been designated a class, they will either:
Compete solely against athletes in the same class
Compete in a team comprised of athletes from numerous classes
Compete against athletes in different classes
Competitive differences
When an event has a class in its name, such as the Men's 50m Freestyle – S10, this means that all athletes competing in the event are of the same class.
This is generally the case for individual events in sports such as swimming and athletics.
In swimming, class names are made up of a letter (or letters) and a number.
The letters are either S – meaning freestyle, backstroke or butterfly events – SB – meaning breaststroke events or SM – meaning individual medley events.
For S and SM events, athletes with a physical disability are assigned a number representing their level of impairment, ranging from the highest degree of impairment (1) to the lowest (10).
Athletes with a vision impairment are given a number from 11 to 13 and swimmers with an intellectual impairment are given the number 14.
In some team sports, sides are comprised of athletes from a range of classes.
In wheelchair basketball, athletes are classified on a point system, ranging from 1, which is the highest level of impairment, to 4.5, which is the lowest.
Each team is made up of five players and the sum of each side's classification points must never exceed 14.
In some cases, athletes are subject to staggered starts or factoring systems in order for different classes to compete in the same event. This is the case for some classes that do not have enough athletes to hold events solely for an individual class.
An example of this is Para-triathlon, where the start times of vision impaired and blind athletes are determined by the level of their impairment.
Intentional misrepresentation
In 2023, a Four Corners investigation found evidence of Para athletes deliberately exaggerating their impairments during classification.
This is known as intentional misrepresentation, and it can come in many forms, such as an athlete purposefully withholding relevant medical documentation, exaggerating their impairment or tiring themselves out before their classification appointment.
Infamously, the Spanish intellectually impaired basketball team was stripped of its gold medal from the 2000 Games when it was exposed that 10 of the 12 members of the squad were fabricating their impairments.
Having only made its debut as an impairment type at the 1996 Games, events for athletes with an intellectual disability were removed before Athens 2004, and only reinstated in time for London 2012.
Being 'classed-out'
Classification can be an ongoing process for some Para-athletes, and it is not unheard of for an athlete to change classes or to be "classed-out" of their sport entirely.
In 2021, the International Paralympic Committee raised the "minimum impairment criteria" of the sport and forced a number of high-profile players into an early international retirement.
Australia's Annabelle Lindsay, who came to wheelchair basketball after a severe knee injury ended her non-disabled basketball career, was one of them.
And Australian superstar swimmer Lakeisha Patterson, who swam as an S8 at the 2016 Games, was reclassified as an S9 in time for Tokyo. Her new class meant she swam against athletes with a lower level of impairment.
She mustn't have been too fazed, however, as she won gold at both Games.
FAQs
What disability qualifies you for the Paralympics? ›
Paralympics welcomes athletes from 10 categories of impairment: impaired muscle power; impaired range of movement; limb deficiency; leg length difference; short stature; hypertonia; ataxia (affecting muscle coordination); athetosis (such as cerebral palsy); vision impairment; and intellectual disability.
Continue Reading ›
Paralympic Games, major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities. Comparable to the Olympic Games, the Paralympics are split into Winter Games and Summer Games, which alternately occur every two years.
Discover More ›
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 Para sports, athletes are grouped by the degree of activity limitation resulting from the impairment.
Discover More Details ›
Discover fascinating facts about this major international sporting event for athletes with disabilities, including its history, notable sports, and outstanding athletes. The Paralympic Games are a major international sporting event for athletes with disabilities, held every four years following the Olympic Games.
Know More ›
Note about Autism: Athletes with Autism and IQ of 75 or below are Virtus II1-eligible and therefore eligible for Paralympics, while athletes with Autism and an IQ of 76 or higher in the Virtus II3 group are not Paralympic-eligible but may compete at Virtus-hosted events.
See More ›
The Paralympic Movement offers sports opportunities for athletes with physical, vision and/or intellectual impairments that have at least one of the following 10 eligible impairments: impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, muscle tension, ...
See Details ›
Para athletics
Athlete classification is defined by a letter and a number: 'T' for track and jump events and 'F' for field events. Figures represent impairments as follows: 11-13: vision impairment. 20: intellectual impairment. 31-38: co-ordination impairments.
Know More ›
Although there is no age limit or minimum for the Paralympic games, as long as the athlete is at a reasonable age to compete, most Paralympians are young adults between 18 and 30 years of age because the level of competition is elite. Development in the technique and power of the sport requires many years of training.
See Details ›
Paralympic athletes have an impairment in body structures and functions that lead to a competitive disadvantage in sport.
Know More ›
The classification assessment will test the individual's levels of function, coordination and movement. Classifiers will also do a technical assessment where a person's medical records will be reviewed and they may be asked to perform certain tests. Classifiers will also observe individual athletes in competition.
Read More ›
Can a deaf person compete in the Paralympics? ›
There are no Paralympic category for athletes who are only Deaf. The Paralympic Games already faces strict limiton the number of competitors. Many did not want to include athletes with a learning difficulty partly because of the additional numbers.
View More ›
The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”. Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side.
Know More ›
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is the largest international event for disabled athletes and societal change and take place shortly after every Olympic Games in the same host city. The Paralympic Games are held every two years – alternating between the summer and winter Paralympic Games.
Get More Info Here ›
Para·lym·pics ˌper-ə-ˈlim-piks. ˌpa-rə- : a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games. called also Paralympic Games. Paralympian.
Get More Info Here ›
Get Set's Olympic and Paralympic Values campaign explore the Olympic Values of respect, excellence and friendship and the Paralympic Values of determination, inspiration, courage, and equality – helping to build young people's character and resilience both in and out of sport.
Continue Reading ›
Several athletes with disabilities have competed in both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. New Zealander Neroli Fairhall was the first paraplegic competitor in the Olympic Games. After competing in the 1980 Summer Paralympics, Fairhall won gold when archery was held during the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.
Learn More Now ›
Those with Down syndrome are able to compete at the Paralympics in the intellectual impairment category (S14). However, that banding is highly competitive, with others often being physically stronger.
Get More Info ›
In order to compete, athletes must experience one of ten specific “impairments” as defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The list identifies eight biomechanical handicaps, such as limb deficiency, short stature or nervous-system damage, as well as visual and intellectual impairments.
Get More Info Here ›
Author information
Name: Rob Wisoky
Birthday: 1994-09-30
Address: 5789 Michel Vista, West Domenic, OR 80464-9452
Phone: +97313824072371
Job: Education Orchestrator
Hobby: Lockpicking, Crocheting, Baton twirling, Video gaming, Jogging, Whittling, Model building
Introduction: My name is Rob Wisoky, I am a smiling, helpful, encouraging, zealous, energetic, faithful, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.