Paralympic Games Classification Categories
Athletes competing in Paralympic sports fall broadly into three categories: physical impairments, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. The physical impairments are further categorized into eight groups: Impaired muscle power, Impaired passive range of movement, Limb deficiency, Leg length difference, Short stature, Muscle tension, Uncoordinated movement, Involuntary movements.
Within each of the disability categories, athletes are classified or graded based on the severity of the disability, with individuals competing against those with a similar degree of impairment. Some sports are open to athletes in all categories, while others are reserved for specific impairments. The classification systems differ by sport. The same disability categories are used for the Summer and Winter Paralympics.
blind runners at the 2012 London ParalympicsTrivia
- In 2012, athletes with intellectual disabilities competed at the Paralympics for the first time in 12 years, after a scandal involving the basketball team for intellectual disabilities from Spain in 2000.
Related Pages
- Vision Impaired Athletes at the Paralympics
- Events and Sports of the Summer Olympic Games
- main Paralympics page
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