Assignment 6



Assignment 6

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Assignment 6

Introduction

Classification in disability sports is a scheme that enables even contest among disabled people. The purpose of classification is to make sure that an athlete that is taking part in particular sport has a relevant disability to that sport and to provide equal opportunity to all disabled athletes (Tweedy & Vanlandewijck, 2011). The rationale behind the classification of disability sports is same as of non-disable sports. There are numerous disability sports in which classification is essential to ensure fairness and competitiveness. Of all the disability sports, para-athletics' classification system is in the discussion today.

Discussion

There are different athletic sports and classes, which determine the eligibility of the disabled athletes. International Paralympic Committee oversees this classification. People with any physical disabilities can take part in the competition. The classification was first done in the 1940s (PARRY & REISMÜLLER, 2017). In the early days of the classification, it was done on the basis of medical conditions- called medical condition based classification system. Over time, with the evolution and improvement of practices enforced, the classification system has been modified. the classification system that is in place is called a mobility based classification system. Additionally, there are three levels of classifications. Provisional, National, and International. To compete in internationally recognized events, International classification is required. National classification allows disabled athletes to take part in domestic athletics competition. International Paralympics Committee has three steps in place to classify the athletes. First, IPC determines the eligible disability for an athlete. Secondly, IPC determines whether or not the athlete meets the minimum criteria of disability or not. Lastly, IPC determines the sports which accurately defines the disability. The sports class allocation is considered to be the most important step of all three stated above. A panel supervised by IPC evaluates athletes’ disability before the commencement of an event.

Conclusion

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Undoubtedly, the classification on the basis of disability is one of the debated topics. While the purpose for the classification is to provide competition to disable people, the lack of modification of the scheme of the classification has, more often than not, has obstructed the paths of many disabled people (Burns, 2015).

References

Burns, J. (2015). The impact of intellectual disabilities on elite sports performance. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 8(1), 251-267.

PARRY, J., & REISMÜLLER, R. (2017). THE KLADRUBY GAMES, THE PARALYMPICS, AND THE PRE-HISTORY OF DISABILITY SPORT. Full-texts/Sborník, 29.

Tweedy, S. M., & Vanlandewijck, Y. C. (2011). International Paralympic Committee position stand—background and scientific principles of classification in Paralympic sport. British journal of sports medicine, 45(4), 259-269.