Disability Sport Classifications

In order for disabled people to take part in competitive sport it is vital that there is an opportunity to compete against athletes of similar ability.

Over the years, a number of systems have evolved within national and international disability sports organisations which classify an athlete according to the level of disability. Some disability sports organisation such as CP Sport, Mencap or British Blind Sport operate separate classification systems for their specific impairment groups.

The most commonly used system at regional and national level is the PROFILE system - a method of measuring and defining functional ability across a range of impairment groups. Normal procedure involves the prospective competitor completing a classification card with a physiotherapist. This is then assessed by a national panel and the profile agreed.

Occasionally, when an athlete first receives a profile, they may be re-assessed during competition, this is often the case in Swimming. The profile can be changed following re-assessment and there is an appeals procedure should the athlete feel the profile does not reflect his/her ability. Depending on the sport, profiles can be grouped together and this is the case for Swimming.

Some athletes may have separate profiles for different sports or disciplines within sports. In other sports, such as Wheelchair Basketball, a points system operates alongside the profile to enable teams to be made up of a fair spread of ability.

Where rules or laws of a sport may need adapting for a specific disability, these rules can then be changed for certain profiles.

The profile system caters for the majority of physical and sensory disabilities and ensures a fair method of enabling coaches, teachers or event organisers to group disabled athletes according to ability. It also enables the identification and selection of athletes with potential.

A full explaination of Paralympic eligibility and classification, sport by sport, is available on the BBC Disability Sport website.

Do you want to get into Paralympic Sport?

Please follow link for a Guide to Paralympic sports (pdf)

You canfind out more about each and all Paralympic Sports at ; www.london2012.com/games/paralympic/index

 

You can find out more about classification for athletes with a learning disability at;

Special Olympics sport for those with a learning disability

Eligibility for participation in Special Olympics -Word.doc

or at Mencap Sport under "Our Services"