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A32 sports
Diasabra 28 augustus 2021

Paralympic Classes: A confusing maze in search of fairness

Some athletes say they’re not “They (athletes) are entitled The largest classification dis-
always fair. to complain,” Cisic told The putes involve athletes with
Associated Press. “They are “loss of function” — spinal
“If we think we can swim or entitled to come forward and cord injuries, spina bifida,
run the same times as every- say, ‘I’m not happy with my and cerebral palsy — rather
one else, we feel good being class. I think I’ve been incor- than physical impairments
in the class,” Popow said. rectly classified.’ And there’s like missing limbs of physical
“But if we feel we’re doing a process for them to get re- deformities.
our best and can’t even reach viewed.”
the limit to qualify, or pass There tend to be fewer dis-
through the heats, you start Cisic acknowledges the clas- putes over visible impair-
to complain.” sification system is complex, ments, like the loss of a limb.
but said fans need to make Coordination impairment
The International Paralympic an effort to understand it, from something like cerebral
Committee has just begun a the way new fans might ini- palsy tends to be questioned
periodic review of the classi- tially wrestle with the rules of more.
(AP) — There are 4,403 letes. fication system, but changes cricket or baseball.
Paralympic athletes com- are unlikely until after the But the eye deceives. Japa-
peting in Tokyo, each with “The problem with the clas- 2024 Paralympics in Paris, ”Classification is complex nese swimmer Miyuki Yama-
unique differences that sification is that if you are at spokesman Craig Spence and it does require an invest- da won a silver medal this
have to be classified. Lines the bottom edge you are not said. ment from the audience to week in the 100-meter back-
have to be drawn — in happy,” said Heinrich Popow, understand how it works,” stroke, S2 class. She is 14 and
the quest for fairness — a two-time gold medalist in At a quick glance, the cur- she said. “But once you do was born without arms. It
to group similar impair- track and field. “The athletes rent classifications system is that, I think it unfolds.” seemed unfair to see her race
ments, or impairments always want to have the best hard to digest. For instance, against swimmers with arms,
that yield similar results. classification.” the finals in swimming on The Paralympics are more and yet she won a medal.
Saturday — each has a men’s than a benign version of the
It’s a confusing maze. And Able-bodied athletes have and women’s race — include: Olympics. In fact, a few per- Clearly, other swimmers had
make no mistake, the Para- advantages in certain sports, 100-meter breaststroke, SB6 formances are better than the disabilities that were more
lympics are competitive and and athletes with disabilities class; 100 freestyle, S10; 150 Olympics. difficult to spot.
athletes are aware that no are not entirely different. individual medley, SM4; 150
matter where a classification individual medley, SM3; 100 Markus Rehm — known Popow, a two-time gold med-
line is drawn, some are likely There are 10 impairment backstroke, S11; 200 indi- as the “Blade Jumper” — alist who is retired and not
to benefit more than others. groups in the Paralympics: vidual medley, SM8; and 100 lost his right leg below the competing in Tokyo, said the
eight involve physical impair- breaststroke, SB5. knee when he was 14 in a Paralympics might be reach-
Winning leads to gold med- ments, and the other group- wakeboarding accident, but ing a crossroads. This could
als, sponsorship deals, and ings are for visual and intel- Most athletes agree there earlier this year he jumped involve excluding athletes.
other outside funding. And lectual impairments. But the must be classes, but they still 8.62 meters, a distance that
some teams are even known 22 Paralympic sports adjust may dispute the logic or sci- would have won the last “The most important thing
to recruit athletes in that top the groups to suit their sport, ence behind them. seven Olympics, including for us in the future is to clar-
range, and often younger ath- swelling the classifications. the Tokyo Games. The win- ity the question: Are we go-
“To be honest, athletes don’t ning long jump at this year’s ing to go for being a more
understand the system,” Olympics was 8.41 meters. professional sport, or are we
Popow said. “Every athlete going more for being a mo-
just wants to focus on him- Archer Matt Stutzman was tivational sport for the soci-
self and his disability and born with no arms, just ety?” Popow asked.
class. We need to have a clas- stumps at the shoulders. He
sification system overall that holds a world record — for “If we go more to the profes-
everyone understands.” any archer, disabled or other- sional side, we won’t talk so
wise — for the longest, most much about inclusion be-
Tea Cisic is the head of clas- accurate shot, hitting a target cause it will be exclusion. We
sification for the IPC. A kine- at 310 yards, or about 283 have marks to be set. Athletes
siologist, it’s her job to access meters. have to fulfil higher levels to
the impairments. attend the Paralympics.”