General Information
Classification
is simply a structure for competition. Not unlike wrestling,
boxing and weightlifting, where athletes are categorized by
weight classes, athletes with disabilities are grouped in
classes defined by the degree of function presented by the
disability.
Traditionally
there are athletes who belong to six different disability
groups in the Paralympic Movement: amputee, cerebral palsy,
visual impairment, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disability
and a group which includes all those that do not fit into
the aforementioned groups (les autres).
Classes are determined by a variety of processes that may
include a physical and technical assessment and observation
in and out of competition. The classes are defined by each
sport and form part of the sport rules.
Classification
is an ongoing process. When an athlete starts competing, they
are allocated a class that may be reviewed throughout the
athlete's career. Sports certify individuals to conduct the
process of classification and these officials are known as
classifiers.
Since the 1960's, the development of sport for athletes with
a disability has produced the development of classification
systems; and this continues to evolve to the present day.
Please find below IPC's Position Statement regarding the participation
of athletes with an intellectual disability at IPC sanctioned
competitions:
Position
statement
Code
In
2003, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) developed
a Classification Strategy with the overall objective to support
and co-ordinate the ongoing development of accurate, reliable,
consistent and credible sport focused classification systems
and their implementation. The IPC Classification Code is a
direct result of recommendations made in this Strategy.
The
Classification Code establishes a framework for policies and
procedures that are common to all sports and is intended to
be specific enough to achieve complete harmonization on classification
issues where standardization is required, yet general enough
in other areas to permit flexibility on how agreed principles
are implemented. The Code is complemented with International
Standards that provide the technical and operational requirements
for classification.
The
IPC Classification Code has been approved by the IPC 2007
General Assembly in Korea in November 2007. You can find it
as follows: IPC
Classification Code
Contact:
International Paralympic Committee
Peter Van de Vliet
Medical and Scientific Director
Adenauerallee 212-214
D-53113 Bonn, Germany
Fax: +49-228-2097-209
E-mail: peter.vandevliet@paralympic.org
Related
Document Downloads
|
