How is a para athlete classified?
I · Intermediate · The process · 2 of 3Classification runs in four stages. Stage 1 checks medical documents for an underlying health condition. Stage 2 confirms an eligible impairment that fits it, stage 3 checks the minimum criteria and stage 4 gives a sport class and status. Stages 2 to 4 form an evaluation session by a classification panel, often finished by watching the athlete's first appearance.
How it works
- Stage 1: health condition, from documents.
- Stage 2: eligible impairment.
- Stage 3: minimum criteria.
- Stage 4: class and status.
- Evaluation session: stages 2 to 4.
- Panel: certified classifiers.
- Chief classifier: runs it at an event.
- Observation: at first appearance.
The glossary has the stages of classification, the underlying health condition, the evaluation session, the classifier and classification panel, the observation assessment and the first appearance.
Tricky cases
Can stage 1 be skipped?
No. It always comes first.
Who decides the class?
The classification panel.
When is the final class decided for a new athlete?
After observation at first appearance.
Is classification run by the IPC?
By each international federation.
Why the rule exists
Watching in competition shows what bench tests cannot: how the impairment affects real sport.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Documents | K 5.1 |
| Stages 2 to 4 | Evaluation session | K App 1 |
| Observation | First appearance | K 18.7.3.2 |
From the rule book
IPC, Classification Code and International Standards (1 January 2025), Articles 5 and 18 and Appendix 1. Checked 15 October 2026. Official document: IPC Classification Code 2025.