B2 (classification)
[1] The Canadian Paralympic Committee defined this classification as "Up to approximately 3-5% functional vision.
[4] Para-alpine skiing sport specific versions of this definition include one by the Australian Paralympic Committee which defined this classification as this classification as "Athletes with some partial vision or the ability to recognise the shape of a hand but have a field of vision less than five degrees.
[11] IBSA handles classification for a number of sports internationally including five-a-side football, goalball and judo.
[11] When being assessed into this class by the IBSA, the process first includes the athlete filling out a consent form, submitting a photograph, and scheduling an appointment with a classifier for evaluation.
Classification was developed by the IBSA to insure more even competition across the different bands of visual acuity.
[20] In 1976, the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) developed a blind classification system.
[11][20][21] The IBSA classification system has largely remained unchanged since it was put in place,[21] even as the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) attempted to move towards a more functional disability and evidence based system that does not rely on medical based classification.
[22][23] In 2003, the IPC made an attempt to address "the overall objective to support and co-ordinate the ongoing development of accurate, reliable, consistent and credible sport focused classification systems and their implementation.
"[23] It approved the classification at the IPC General Assembly in 2007 as part of the overall blind class group, but was still medically based despite changes in other disability types.
IBSA was not prepared at the time to move towards a more functional classification system similar to that utilized by other disability groups and sports.
[14] In some cases, non-Paralympic, non-IBSA affiliated sports have developed their own classification systems.
[4] In 1990, the Equestrian Federation of Australia did not have specific classifications for competitors with disabilities, including those with visual impairments.
These included allowing blind riders, when they reached a marker, being given an auditory signal to inform them of this.
[32][33] In adaptive rowing's Coxed Four, LTA4+, the maximum number of vision impaired rowers in a boat is two.
[32] In judo, all three blind sport classes compete against each other, with competitors classified by weight for the purposes of competition.
[37] On the Paralympic level, a number of disability sports are not open to this classification or other visually impaired competitors including archery, basketball, boccia, curling, fencing, ice sledge hockey, powerlifting, rugby, shooting, table tennis, tennis, volleyball.
[4][39] While this classifications is open to five-a-side blind football,[2] women are not eligible to compete at the Paralympic Games.
[38] This classification is eligible to play goalkeeper but in some competitions is not allowed to be a field player.
