How Are Athletes Avoid Classifications Determine Their Disabilities?

An athlete who wants to compete in the Paralympics must have an eligible impairment that leads to permanent limitation. These can be either a physical impairment, vision impairment or intellectual impairment. The main categories of impairment for the Paralympic Games are impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis and visual impairment. Athletes are classified by Classifiers who are trained and certified to assess athletes’ impairments to determine their sport class. Classifications are needed because if athletes with similar disabilities are classed together, their disability has less of an impact on their place in the competition.
Fairness is always an issue when classifying someone into a category as there are many other people with many other different disabilities. There are over 50 classifications making the classifications fair for these people. However, sometimes people cheat the system or are placed into the wrong classification. There have been many claims that cheating has taken place by enhancing cerebral palsy spasticity by putting them into cold environments, athletes turning up in wheelchairs when they do not normally use them, a swimmer’s arm being
It was also found that people with double below the knee amputees have less mass because of their missing limbs therefore making them go faster with less force and/or acceleration. These comparisons show how different disabilities affect their abilities and swimming