Sports
Classification
This is the method by which athletes are grouped in their sport and in their events to ensure that they compete fairly against other athletes with a similar degree of disability. This was originally based on medical opinion only but is now evaluated on an athlete’s functional ability. In the past, Paralympic competition has been organised within disability groups, e.g. amputees competing against amputees and spinal cord injured competing against other spinal cord injured - all classified (within their disability groups) according to the severity of their disability.
In Barcelona, athletes from all the locomotor disability groups competed - for the first time - against each other, with classes of competitions based on functional ability rather than clinical disability. The visually impaired will continue to compete separately in three classes, B1 blind, B2 partially sighted and B3 visually impaired. Most competitors will have been classified many times before they even reach a Paralympic venue, and several days are set aside at the beginning of each Paralympics for further classification checks by an international panel of experienced classifiers. These efforts endeavour to create a level playing field.
Sports
The current Paralympic summer sports are:
- Archery
- Athletics
- Basketball
- Boccia
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Football
- Goalball
- Judo
- Powerlifting
- Rowing
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
The current Paralympic Winter Sports are:
- Alpine Skiing
- Nordic Skiing
- Ice Sledge Hockey
- Wheelchair Curling
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