Para-swimming classification
Athletes who have different physical disabilities may compete in the same class so long as their functional impairments are similar.
[8] It also means that swimmers with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and limb deficiencies may compete against each other.
[12] The rules regarding strokes, turns and the length of time that swimmers may remain under water are similar to those for the Olympic Games.
[13] Both the rules for the sport and for the approval of swimmers' classifications were set by the Fédération International de Natation Amateur (FINA).
[19] At the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, the number of eligible classes was so great that 60 gold medals were awarded in one swimming event.
Some of the medical classifications appeared arbitrary, with people of different functional levels being put into the same class.
[21] In 1974, the Disabled of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (BSNW) developed a swimming classification system that stayed in use until 1982.
[26] That year, 80 to 85 per cent of all competitors with cerebral palsy competed in the same classification in international competitions.
This caused problems because certain types of disability had a greater negative impact on swimming than others, and the point system did not directly address functional ability.
[29] As a result, the number of swimming classifications dropped from 31 at Seoul in 1988 to 10 at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona.
A study by the organising committee and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in the lead-up to the meeting looked at the results of recent international competitions.
COOB insisted that such a system be implemented to ensure the sport at the Paralympic Games was serious and competitive, instead of recreational.
The first detailed international swimming sport science project was conducted at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
These studies provided an increasingly detailed understanding of the factors involved in high performance swimming.
[35] The IPC's Olympian aspiration to become an premier elite international sporting competition still fell short.
[37] A two-person panel that includes at least one person with a medical background handles classification at international competitions.
If a swimmer intentionally misrepresents his or her disability, he or she is barred from the classification process for a minimum of two years, and is unable to compete.
[32] The process became a contentious issue at the Paralympics because of on-the-spot reclassifications that resulted in changes to the competition schedule.
Six classification appeals were lodged for swimming at the 2000 Summer Paralympics involving four athletes, resulting in two class changes.
This policy was put into place in 2014, with the goal of avoiding last minute changes in classes that would negatively impact athlete training preparations.
All competitors needed to be internationally classified with their classification status confirmed prior to the Games, with exceptions to this policy being dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
[42] In case there was a need for classification or reclassification at the Games despite best efforts otherwise, swimming classification was scheduled to take place at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, with visually impaired swimmers getting classified from September 4 to 6 and all other swimmers being classified from September 3 to 5.
For sportspeople with physical or intellectual disabilities going through classification or reclassification in Rio de Janeiro, their in-competition observation event is their first appearance in competition at the Games.
[42] Disability sport's major classification body, the IPC, is working on improving classification to be more of an evidence-based system, as opposed to a performance-based system, so as not to punish elite athletes whose performance makes them appear in a higher class compared to competitors who train less.
