Athlete Classification
Athlete Classification
Contents
Purpose of Athlete Classification
Classification Dates
Forms and Documents
Forms and Documents
Protests and Appeals
Introduction
At an international level, classification is the responsibility and domain of the international federation (IF) for the relevant sport. That federation has the sole authority to determine the classification system for that sport, to certify and train international classifiers and to arrange for classification opportunities for athletes in that sport at international events throughout the world each year.
“The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), through the IPC Classification committee, is responsible for establishing universal classification policies and guidelines that may be applied to the Paralympic Movement and Paralympic Games”
(IPC Classification Code – Version 2.0).
(IPC Classification Code – Version 2.0).
The Australian Paralympic Committee has been delegated by the IPC to have the responsibility for the overseeing a classification activities in Australia. In line with the IPC Classification Strategy, the APC aims to:
“support and coordinate the ongoing development of accurate, reliable, consistent, credible and sport focussed classification systems and their implementation”
(IPC Classification Code – Version 2.0 p. 5)
(IPC Classification Code – Version 2.0 p. 5)
The APC must work closely with sports and the international federations to ensure that national level classification in Australia is conducted in adherence to the IF classification rules, and that classification opportunities are available to athletes across the country. Through the APC National Classification Strategy, the APC aims to establish a clear and achievable pathway for athlete classification in Australia, so that opportunities for classification are available regularly and locally. The implementation of classification activities to support such a pathway will clearly need to be a partnership between the APC, national sporting organisations and the International and National Classifiers in Australia.
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Purpose of Athlete Classification
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Purpose of Athlete Classification
The Pathway for Development
Any person can participate to some degree in sport; socially, for fitness, socialisation and enjoyment. To compete in sport as an Athlete with a Disability (AWD), an athlete must meet the minimal disability criteria for that sport, and know what sport class they would be. Classification is a requirement for competition rather than for participation in sport.
Any person can participate to some degree in sport; socially, for fitness, socialisation and enjoyment. To compete in sport as an Athlete with a Disability (AWD), an athlete must meet the minimal disability criteria for that sport, and know what sport class they would be. Classification is a requirement for competition rather than for participation in sport.
Talented able bodied athletes have the possibility to aspire to compete at international or Olympic level in their chosen sport. An athlete with a disability similarly aspires to international or Paralympic competition.
Having access to some form of classification evaluation early in their sport career is an important part of the athletes’ developmental pathway, as it is the point at which they are definitively identified as fitting the criteria for Paralympic sport.
Once an athlete has received a classification, their performance can be compared with elite athletes of the same class. This allows the athlete and their coach to determine how competitive the athlete is, and allows for realistic goals to be set.
In this area, the accuracy and credibility of classification advice given at a national level is critical. Advice that is not based on an appropriate classification evaluation, or that is given by a person not trained as a classifier, can lead to inappropriate goal setting, confusion, disappointment and financial and emotional loss. Goals need to be determined based on as accurate a classification as possible.
Once an athlete has progressed to the level of international competition, they will undergo International Classification by the International Classifiers certified by the International Federation, at the international event. The classification decision at this level determines which class the athlete will compete in at the international competition. As such, the classification process can be highly stressful, particularly for athletes who have borderline classifications, or where they are not adequately prepared for what to expect.
For this reason, it is very important that the classification evaluations that are conducted in Australia are rigorous, aligned fully with that of the international federation, and so that there is minimal risk of a different class being given when the athlete is classified internationally.
Where there is doubt in a borderline case, it is recommended that the athlete is classified nationally in the higher (more able) class. In this way, a change of class at international level, if it occurs, is most likely to be to the athlete’s advantage. It is enormously costly, financially, emotionally and in terms of team preparation and morale, for an athlete to receive an adverse classification decision internationally – i.e. classified into a less disabled class than expected or even found to be ineligible. This risk can be minimised by rigorous classification processes in Australia.
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In many ways it would seem ideal if every athlete could be classified nationally by an international classifier, as this would give the lowest risk of an adverse classification change when the international classification occurs. However, this option is logistically unrealistic, and is certainly not necessary for the majority of athletes who will only compete up to a national level.
It is clear that there are many young athletes who are interested in several different sports, and who are currently participating or competing at a school or local level. These athletes do not need to have a full international style classification for each and every sport in which they are involved. Athletes who have specialised in a particular sport and who show potential for international competition, however, need a more rigorous sport specific classification evaluation, so as to ensure that the class given nationally is as accurate as possible.
The challenge of a national classification pathway is to provide classification locally, regularly, at a level appropriate for the stage in an athlete’s development and in a way which is logistically realistic and sustainable.
Provisional National Classification is a process by which a generic set of physical assessments is conducted; incorporating the tests used by the majority of sport classification systems. This is often called a ‘bench’ test. The results of this assessment are then compared against the classification systems of the sports nominated by the individual, and a provisional classification given for each sport.
The reason for the term ‘provisional’ is that this is not the sport-specific testing regimen for each of the sports, and it does not involve the sport-specific functional tests or observation of training or competition. As such, the classification can only be provisional.
This level of classification is valid to use up to a state or regional level, and not for national competition. In most cases records set with a provisional classification may not be recognised.
For a young athlete who is interested in a range of sports, this is a time efficient way of obtaining reasonable classification advice for a range of sports.
National Classification is a sport-specific classification process, incorporating the full assessment, physical and functional, that the International Classification process involves.
This level of classification is intended for athletes who have narrowed their interest to a particular sport, who show talent in a particular sport or who are competing at higher than state level.
National Classification should be available several times through the year, often in conjunction with a state or national championship for that sport. It is valid for up to national level competition and national records are usually recognised.
In cases where class allocation is borderline or where the athlete is due to compete internationally, the case may be reviewed by the Australian Chief Classifier for the sport, so as to give the highest possible level of classification advice to that athlete.
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Classification Dates
Please see Classification Calendar for classification dates by sport and state.
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Forms and Documents
The APC is pleased to announce the launch of our "Remote Provisional Athlete Classification New - remote classification
The APC is pleased to announce the launch of our "Remote Provisional Classification Service" for athletes with a disability living in remote and rural areas.
Application for remote provisional classification
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Protests and Appeals
Definitions
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Protests and Appeals
Definitions
An Appeal is defined by the International Paralympic Committee as:
“An Appeal is the procedure by which a formal objection to the resolution of
procedural related disputes is lodged and subsequently resolved. Each
International Federation shall detail the respective Appeal procedures in their
classification system.” (IPC International Standard for Protests and Appeals: Draft – Version 1.0, January 2006).
A Protest is defined by the International Paralympic Committee as:
“A Protest is the procedure by which a formal objection to an athlete’s sport class and/or sport class status is lodged and subsequently resolved.” (IPC International Standard for Protests and Appeals: Draft – Version 1.0, January 2006).
Each International Federation has rules pertaining to classification protests and appeals, and so there is no standard generic national procedure for classification protests and appeals. The Australian Paralympic Committee is currently developing guidelines to ensure that protests and appeals relating to national classifications are handled in a way that complies with the IPC Classification Code and the IPC International Standard for Classification Protests and Appeals, as well as the rules of the relevant International Federation. The APC will then work closely with each of our member federations to assist them to develop policies and procedures for fair, efficient and transparent resolution of classification protests and appeals. In many cases these processes already exist and are working effectively.
Further information will be published here by April 2008.
