ClassificationAthletes are classified by classifiers into classes by their ability to function. The aim is to ensure that athletes of similar ability compete against one another. can be a bit tricky to understand, so below are some brief explanations as to how Classification works.  Stay tuned for our Classification vodcasts explaining all you need to know.

Athletes at the Paralympic Games are drawn from six disabilityA Disability is generally a condition either caused by accident, trauma, genetics or disease, which may restrict a person's mental processes, senses or mobility. groups

• AmputeeIndividuals who have at least one major joint in a limb missing (ie elbow, wrist, knee, ankle).
• Cerebral PalsyA disorder of movement and posture due to damage to an area of the brain that controls and coordinates muscle tone, reflexes, posture and movement. "Cerebral" mean brain-centred; "palsy" is a lack of muscle control.
• Intellectual DisabilityIndividuals who have limitations in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour.
• Les Autresis French for 'others'. It is a term used to describe athletes with a range of conditions which result in locomotor disorders that do not fit the traditional classification systems of the established disability group, eg dwarfism, polio, MS
• Vision ImpairedThis refers to any group condition which interferes with 'normal' vision. This incorporates the entire range of vision difficulties, from correctable conditions through to total blindness.
• WheelchairThis refers to a group of athletes with a disability who are eligible to compete in wheelchair events. Some of the conditions resulting in eligibility into wheelchair events are: paraplegia, quadriplegia, spina bifida, poliomyelitis, amputee, cerebral palsy.

Not all disability groups compete in all 24 Paralympic sports.

For example, judo, goalballGoalball is a sport where the object is to roll the ball past the opposition defence and into the opponent’s goal. A bell inside the competition ball enables defending players to hear it and move to stop it going through the goal. and football 5-a-side are played only by vision impaired athletes; football 7-a-side is played only by cerebral palsy athletes, whereas sports like swimming and athletics are open to all six disability groups.

Athletes are classified by sporting and medical officials into classes by their ability to function. The aim is to ensure that athletes of similar ability compete against one another.

For some events, such as the marathon, athletes of several different disability groups compete together. This explains how an athlete who does not win an event can still claim a world record for their class, and also why some events have more than one gold medal awarded.

An athlete may be moved into several different classes throughout his or her career, as their functional ability may change over the years.

Some sports, for example wheelchair basketball and rugby, classify athletes to allow players of different disabilities to play on the same team.

Players are assigned a point value - the higher their mobility, the higher their value - and a team may not exceed a certain value of points on the field of play at any one time. This ensures that every player has an important role to play within their team.

1.  Amputee

Includes athletes/individuals who have at least one major joint in a limbarm or leg missing (ie elbow, wrist, knee, ankle).  Depending on the sport, some amputee athletes compete in the wheelchair category.

2. Cerebral Palsy

A disorder of movement and posture due to damage to an area, or areas, of the brain that control and coordinate muscle tone, reflexes, posture and movement. “Cerebral” means brain-centred; “palsy” is a lack of muscle control.

3. Wheelchair

This group includes athletes with a disability who are eligible to compete in wheelchair events.  Generally in order to be eligible to compete an athlete must have a at least 10 per cent of function of their lower limbs.  Some of the more common conditions which may result in individuals being eligible to compete include: paraplegiaparalysis of both lower limbs due to spinal disease or injury. and quadriplegiadisability in all four limbs or of the entire body below the neck. (ie spinal cordcord of nerve tissue extending through the spinal canal of the spinal column. injuries), spina bifidaSpina bifida comes from the word for ‘split spine’ in Latin. It is a birth defect which involves damage to the spine and the spinal cord. People are affected by spina bifida (SB) in a variety of ways, ranging from minor to severe such as walking difficulties and brain function disabilities., poliomyelitisPoliomyelitis (polio) is a serious disease, caused by infection with one of the three types of poliovirus. The disease can cause long-term disabilities in its sufferers as the muscles can become paralysed. , amputee, cerebral palsy and all non-ambulantunable to walk les autres athletes.

4. Vision Impaired

This refers to any group condition which interferes with ‘normal’ vision.  This incorporates the entire range of vision difficulties, from correctable conditions through to total blindnessUnable to see at all.

5. Les Autres

Les autres is French for “the others”.  It is a term used to describe athletes with a range of conditions which result in locomotor disorders that do not fit the traditional classification systems of the established disability groups, eg dwarfismDwarfism refers to a group of conditions characterised by shorter than normal skeletal growth., polioPolio (Poliomyelitis) is a serious disease, caused by infection with one of the three types of poliovirus. The disease can cause long-term disabilities in its sufferers as the muscles can become paralysed. , MS (multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system. The brain, spinal cord and optic nerves can be affected.).

6. Intellectual disability

A person with an intellectual disability must have:

• Substantial limitation in present functioning, characterised by intellectual function.
• Limitations in two or more of the following adaptive skill areas: communication, self-care, home living, social skills, community use, self-direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure and work.
• Acquire their condition before age 18.