Paralympic Classification: Conceptual Basis, Current Methods, and Research Update

Abstract

Paralympic classification systems aim to promote participation in sport by people with disabilities by controlling for the impact of impairment on the outcome of competition. Valid systems of classification ensure that successful athletes are those who have the most advantageous combination of anthropometric, physiological, and/or psychological attributes, and who have enhanced them to the best effect. Classification systems that are not valid pose a significant threat to Paralympic sport and, therefore, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has a Classification Code which includes policy commitment to the development of evidence-based methods of classification. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of current best practice in classification for athletes with physical impairments, and to update research advances in the area. Currently, classification has 4 stages: (1) establish whether the athlete has a health condition that will lead to one or more of the 8 eligible types of physical impairment, (2) determine whether the athlete has an eligible impairment type, (3) determine whether the impairment is severe enough, and (4) determine in what class the athlete should compete. A sequential 4-step process that outlines how to initiate and develop evidence-based methods of classification is described: (1) specification of impairment types that are eligible for the sport; (2) development of valid measures of impairment(s); (3) development of standardized, sport-specific measures of performance; and (4) assessment of the relative strength of association between measures of impairment and measures of performance. Of these, the development and reporting of valid measures of impairment is currently the most pressing scientific challenge in the development of evidence-based methods of classification.

The International wheelchair basketball federation’s classification system

“…That system is currently promoted by the International Paralympic Committee. In fact, the strong scientific evidences help to avoid misunderstandings and manipulations during the classification process Tweedy, et al, 2014).…”

Bases para una Estrategia Nacional de Clasificación en Deporte Paralímpico en España

“…Además, siguiendo los principios del movimiento olímpico sobre fair play, los sistemas de clasificación deben asegurar que el éxito de un deportista derive de la combinación de sus características antropométricas, fisiológicas y/o psicológicas y cómo es capaz de sacar el mejor resultado de éstas, y no porque éstos partan de una situación desventajosa de competición originada por el propio sistema de clasificación (Tweedy et al, 2014).…”

Using Fitts' Law to Detect Intentional Misrepresentation

“…In order to classify eligible impairments according to the extent of activity limitation they cause, requires measures of impairment that are valid, reliable, and ratio-scaled (Tweedy, Beckman, & Connick, 2014). A ratio-scaled measure of impairment is one which states unit magnitude respective to a meaningful and non-arbitrary zero value (Nunnally, 1967).…”