Parafed Sports Classification
Classification plays a major role in sport for people with physical disabilities. It provides a fair structure for competition among athletes, as it minimises the effect of an individual’s disability on the outcome of a contest. This allows people with similar levels of physical function to compete against each other, which is the same principal applied to able–bodied sport where a person fits within a particular age or weight category.
The method by which an athlete is classified is carried out by qualified classifiers, utilising a process that is dependent on the athlete’s disability group and the sport for which they are being assesed. Generally, classifiers have either a medical, technical background in sport, or experience with disabled sport. This is because most evaluations require a physical and/or medical examination, or a technical assessment of how the athlete can perform physical functions related to the sport.
Each sport has its own specific classification system which forms part of the rules of that sport. The information provided for each sport on this website includes a breakdown of its classification system.
Participation Possibilities
Current sporting opportunities with Parafed Auckland:
- Adaptive Rowing:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Archery:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Other - Athletics:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Boccia:
Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Other - Cycling:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Lawn Bowls:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Powerlifting:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Other - Sailing:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Shooting:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Other - Snowsports:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Swimming:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Table Tennis:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Visually Impaired | Other - Wheelchair Basketball:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Other - Wheelchair Rugby:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Other - Wheelchair Tennis:
Amputee | Cerebral Palsy | S.C.I. | Other
Amputee:
Athletes with a partial or total loss of at least one limb.
Cerebral Palsy:
Athletes with non–progressive, non–contagious motor conditions affecting control, balance or coordination.
Spinal Cord Injury:
(S.C.I.) Athletes with damage to spinal cord tissue which carries signals to and from the brain.
Visually Impaired:
Athletes with vision loss ranging from partial vision (enough to be judged legally blind), through to total blindness.
Other:
Athletes with a physical disability that does not fall stictly under one of the other categories, such as little people, multiple sclerosis or congenital deformities of the limbs, such as that caused by thalidomide (Wikipedia).
