What are the eligible impairments in Paralympic sport?
B · Beginner · Eligibility · 2 of 2There are seven eligible impairments. Five are physical: impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency or limb length difference, short stature and coordination impairment. The others are vision impairment and intellectual impairment. Each must be permanent and come from a verified health condition. Each sport chooses which it caters for.
How it works
- Count: seven.
- Physical: five.
- Muscle power: reduced force.
- Range of movement: stiff joints.
- Limb deficiency: absence or length difference.
- Coordination: hypertonia, ataxia, dyskinesia.
- Also: vision, intellectual.
- Permanent: always.
The glossary has the eligible impairment, the physical impairment, the coordination impairment, the vision impairment, the intellectual impairment and the non-eligible impairment.
Tricky cases
Why do some sports list ten?
Older rules count hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis separately.
Is short stature from a limb difference counted as short stature?
No.
Is pain an eligible impairment?
No.
Does every sport include intellectual impairment?
No. Only some.
Why the rule exists
Fixing the list keeps para sport for those whose impairment affects sport in measurable ways.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | Five | K 8.1.1 |
| Vision | One | K 8.1.2 |
| Intellectual | Some sports | K 8.1.3 |
From the rule book
IPC, Classification Code and International Standards (1 January 2025), Article 8 and Appendix 1. Checked 15 October 2026. Official document: IPC Classification Code 2025.