Athletes in any sport categorized into divisions allow for fairness and equal opportunity in competition. Whether it be at a global, national, or regional level, organizing athletes into appropriate groups levels the playing field. For the Paralympics, because athletes with disabilities have differing capabilities and severities, their Classification System allows matching individuals to compete. Paralympic athletes are subject to a classification process that measures their ability to perform movements in their sport. With so much variability in disabilities, athletes must achieve a minimum to continue their path on a Paralympic level. In today's post, we will explore if all athletes with disabilities should be classified for every sport if the Paralympics should be inclusive of everyone, and how a fair playing field can be achieved with so many different disabilities.
Disabilities come in a mixed bag, meaning no two individuals with disabilities perform the same. Because of this, athletes should be allowed to be classified for every sport, however, this does not mean that every athlete should compete. What I am referring to is that the classification that athletes undergo before competing will draw out those who do not meet the minimum standards. Classifying every athlete with a disability still makes it fair, as each individual must meet the criteria to be permitted to participate. The classification process seems difficult to understand, but this video by Paralympics Great Britain describes it easily, showing how and why the classification process is essential for these athletes. Moreover, the Paralympics is meant to increase participation amongst athletes with disabilities, and denying the ability to consider all athletes, discourages these athletes from furthering their careers.
Inclusivity is a foundation that the Paralympics has built on since the start of the games. One of the purposes of the Paralympics is to promote the rights of those with disabilities, and allowing everyone to be included in Paralympic sports then takes away from that goal. The Paralympics originated as a method for veterans with disabilities to promote health, and it has evolved as a global game that millions watch. Including everyone in participation takes the spotlight away from the athletes with disabilities who had to undergo a great amount of adversity to get there. Then, there would be no need for the Olympics as there are both able-bodied and non-able-bodied athletes performing. Nonetheless, keeping the Paralympics exclusive to athletes with disabilities keeps it so that all must undergo the same process and similar individuals feel a sense of community when together.
With so many disabilities varying in severity, it can be complicated to keep a fair playing field. The differences can be made so athletes compete with those who have the same capacity when participating through the Classification System. As mentioned earlier, this procedure allows matching individuals to compete with each other and no individual has an advantage. Classifications for each sport range from the number of disabilities there are, in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, the track and field portion had one of the largest degrees of classifications. This system seems confusing at first, but this video gives an easy-to-understand explanation of what the process is like. The key points to take away from this process that ensure a fair opportunity for all participants are the medical examination and technical assessment. These aspects will show the two panelists to what extent the athlete is capable of competing. From there they see what accommodations need to be made during the technical assessment. Differing impairments, depending on the sport, are made accommodations, this can be seen from the 21-22 Nordic skiing game during the 2022 Winter Paralympics. Although this system works to properly classify based on the severity and capability of a disability, many do not end up meeting the minimum requirement or they get misclassified. Ensuring participants are equivalent in terms of ability is difficult when some athletes are turned down or put in the right category. Classifications are meant to help bring people to the right area of competition, but that is not always the case. Despite this, the Paralympics continues to encourage athletes that do not make it to the Paralympic level, and continuously monitor athletes and make changes when needed.
Altogether, classifications for the Paralympics provide equal opportunity in competition between athletes. Because all athletes must undergo the classification process before a competition, athletes with disabilities should be allowed to be classified for their sport. Whether or not they meet standards during the process will dictate if they continue their athletic career on a Paralympic level. Classification is a process specialized for those athletes competing with a disability. Making the Paralympics inclusive for athletes without disabilities takes away fairness in the process and removes the community from those with similar disabilities. The playing field is equal with this system in place, even if the method is not perfect, it ensures equality for all as much as it can.
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