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Classification forms the cornerstone of the Paralympic movement and challenges the threat of one-sided and predictable competition, where the least-impaired athlete always wins.
It determines which athletes are eligible to participate in a sport and how they are grouped together.
Each of the 22 Paralympic sports on show at Paris 2024 has specific classification criteria that are developed by the respective international federations.
Any athlete wishing to take part in Para sport competition must have an underlying health condition that leads to a permanent eligible impairment.
Athletes are classified by their degree of limitation resulting from their specific impairments.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lists 10 eligible impairments, which are often referred to as three distinct groups: physical, visual and intellectual.
Physical disability accounts for eight of those impairments: impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.
Classification – crucial to the integrity of Para sport but often a contentious issue – is denoted by a series of numbers and letters.
The key thing to note is that those with the greatest degree of impairment have the lowest number associated with them.
Using athletics as an example: competitors in the 11 to 13 categories have a visual impairment; those in 20 have intellectual impairments; anyone between 31 and 38 has a co-ordination impairment, 40 and 41 are for those with short stature; 42 to 47 and 61 to 64 relate to amputees and limb deficiencies, while anyone in the 50s competes in a seated position.

The letters which precede the numbers simply refer to disciplines.
‘T’ in athletics means track, while ‘F’ denotes field; at the velodrome or in road races, ‘C’ represents cycling, ‘H’ is for handbike, ‘T’ is for tricycle and ‘B’ is for blind or visually impaired.
In canoeing, the letters differentiate between the type of boat, with ‘KL’ representing kayak and ‘VL’ standing for va’a.
Swimming is slightly different in that it is the only sport that combines conditions – such a limb loss, co-ordination and movement restrictions – and dwarfism. Consequently, race line-ups can have people who look very different from one another.
In the pool, the prefixes denote the strokes: ‘S’ being freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events; ‘SB’ denoting breaststroke, and ‘SM’ representing individual medley. Athletes are split into 10 different classes depending on the severity of their impairment – again, the lower the number, the greater the disability.
Some Paralympic sports are designed only for athletes with one type of impairment.

Judo, for example, is exclusively open to competitors with a vision impairment, whereas powerlifting is open to all and has just one class but athletes compete in different weight categories.
As a viewer of the Paralympics as a sporting contest, it is important to have faith that the classifiers are correct.
Classification controversies have sometimes marred competition and, on occasions, the system has been manipulated.
There are claims that some athletes have been known to try to exacerbate their impairment to fall into a class where they have a greater chance of claiming a medal.
Yet, in general, the classification system works and has proved effective in ensuring competition is fair.


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Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Paris Paralympics 2024: classification explained – who are eligible, how they are grouped

The Dutch athletics team training for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which take place from August 28 to September 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

Brazil’s Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo is classified as S2: ‘S’ for swimming and ‘2’ for degree of impairment. Photo: AFP

Italian swimmer Simone Barlaam, whose right leg is shorter than his left, is classified S9. Photo: Reuters

Poland’s Justyna Kozdryk celebrates winning bronze in Tokyo. Powerlifting is open to all but athletes compete by weight. Photo: Reuters

China urges no accidental doping slip-ups at Paralympics after focus on swimmers in Paris

China’s Pan Zhanle, Sun Jiajun, Qin Haiyang and Xu Jiayu after winning men’s 4x100m medley relay gold at the Paris Olympics. Photo: AFP

Pan Zhanle celebrates winning 100m freestyle gold at the Paris Games in a world record time. Photo: Reuters

Improve Hong Kong sport with more support for athletes, better governance: Vincent Cheng

People take pictures with cardboard figures of Olympic gold medallist fencer Cheung Ka-long (left) and bronze medallist swimmer Siobhan Haughey at the APM shopping mall in Kwun Tong. Photo: Edmond So

Badminton player Lee Cheuk-yiu said many athletes had given up because of low levels of financial support. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Xi Jinping praises China’s Olympians for winning ‘glory for the country and people’

Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Li Xi and Han Zheng meet with China’s Olympic delegation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Tennis gold medallist Zheng Qinwen attends the review ceremony of China’s Olympic delegation. Photo: Xinhua

Diver Quan Hongchan at the event in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Athletes in Para sport must have a condition that leads to permanent impairment, and the athletes are classified by their degree of limitation


Athletes in Para sport must have a condition that leads to permanent eligible impairment, and the athletes are classified by their degree of limitation.


Swimming