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Singapore Disability Sports Council

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Disability Sports Classification

(Source: Research on Sports for Athletes with Disabilities, Department of Kinesiology – Michigan State University)

Classification refers to the way in which athletes are grouped for competition. The objective of classification is to inculcate fairness in any competition – a “level playing field.” Classification occurs in most sports. For example in normal sports, wrestlers are classified by body weight. Young swimmers and runners are classified by age. Many events are classified by the gender. Athletes with a disability are classified by their ability/disability characteristics.

Classification Criteria

The classification systems used in disability sport generally focus on one or more of these variables:

  1. the nature and severity of the athlete’s disability;
  2. the athlete’s functional ability to perform skills associated with the sport; and/or
  3. the athlete’s performances in previous competitions.
Disabilities

In a disability-specific classification system, classifications are based upon anatomical differences in the human body. Diagnosis or classification is typically conducted by someone with medical expertise such as myophysiology and neurophysiology. Examples include the measurement of vision loss to determine the classification of athletes who are blind and the measurement of residual limb length for athletes with amputations. Disability-specific classification tends to be more precise and objective than other methods; however, the anatomical difference that is being measured may or may not have a significant impact on sports performance.

Functional skills

Functional classifications are based upon what individuals can and cannot do in a particular sport or in a group of sports that require similar skills. For example, swimmers in Paralympic competition are classified on the basis of joint mobility, coordination, strength, and swimming skills. Classification is typically conducted by persons who are expert in the sport; however, their judgments are often supplemented by observations by persons who have extensive knowledge of disabilities.

Sports performances

Performance-based classification systems use the athlete’s previous best times or performance data as the basis of classification. For example, the Special Olympics program groups athletes according to recent previous performances, with not more than a 10% difference in the times or performance levels of athletes in a particular event.

To learn more on Disability-Specific (Medical) Classification Systems, you can visit the website about the Research on Sports for Athletes with Disabilities, Department of Kinesiology – Michigan State University.