Classification
Inclusivity is always encouraged. Right?
So far, there has been a theme of including people with disabilities to be included in athletic events and sports, such as the Paralympics. However, what happens when you look from the other perspective?
Should Paralympic sports be inclusive?
Should all athletes with any type of disability be allowed to classify for every sport?
These questions typically follow the topic of inclusivity in the Paralympics. Immediately after reading these questions, I felt like the Paralympics are one of the best ways to represent inclusivity. People with all different types and levels of disabilities are allowed a way to participate in sports, just like the Olympics. Creating the Paralympics was to create an inclusive environment where people could participate in the sport they love despite having a disability.
However, when I read the question again I began to think. People without a disability are not allowed to participate in the Paralympics. Although that seems like the whole point of creating the Paralympics, there are individuals with disabilities who are not allowed to participate in certain groups due to the classification system.
The Classification systems for the Paralympics “aim to promote participation in sport by people with disabilities by controlling for the impact of impairment on the outcome of competition” (Tweedy 2014). This definition of the Paralympic classification system suggests that the reason for categorizing the athletes is to increase participation with fair competition.
Although I do think that the intentions of the classifications are to promote participation from many athletes, I also think it is important to acknowledge that it is not 100% inclusive to everyone. However, I think it is necessary to not include everyone in the Paralympics. Allowing people without disabilities to participate in the games would defeat the purpose of having two separate games. There would be no level of fairness. Along with that, I think dividing the athletes into groups will allow for better competition and over fairness. Including people with more extreme disabilities may create a danger for the athlete.
Considering how many different disabilities there are, it seems impossible to determine what a fair playing field would look like. These Paralympic Classification systems do exactly that.
There are four different stages that the classification systems utilize.
The first stage of the classification is to conclude whether or not an athlete has a health condition that will lead to one or more of the 8 eligible types of physical impairment.
Next is to determine whether or not the individual has one of the eligible types of impairments discussed previously.
The third stage is to decide if the eligible type of impairment is severe enough.
Finally, the fourth stage is to determine what class the athlete should be able to compete in.
After the first four stages are complete, there is another four step process on how to create evidence based methods of classification.
To learn more in depth about the Classification systems, click the link below:
Para Classification Tweedy.pdf
Given that there are many complicated steps when determining which classification athletes should participate, it is important to remember that the reason for the classification is to create a fair environment for athletes. Without the classification system, there would be no effort to create an equal competition for individuals with disabilities.
You can also check out the LEXI website where the rules of parasport are explained:
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