“Classification is essential for Paralympic sport,” Loughborough University Doctoral Researcher Iain Gowens explained.

“Without it, the Paralympic Games does not exist. The technical term for what it does is it minimises the impact of impairment on the outcome of competition.

“It makes sure that every athlete that wins a medal gets there on the merit of their athletic ability – enhancing that athletic ability – so it minimises the impact of the impairment on sport.”

Iain, who was formally Classification Manager for the British Paralympic Association before taking up his role at the University’s  Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, added:

“It varies from sport-to-sport classification, partially due to the sport itself and the demands of the sport. In team sports, there is an on-court threshold. In wheelchair rugby, for example, the threshold is eight.

“So, if you've got four players and you’ve got two 3.5s, that gives you 7.0, so you've only got two 0.5s left.

“The maximum points of all four players on court can’t exceed 8.0.

“Wheelchair rugby evolved somewhat out of wheelchair basketball. There was a number of wheelchair using athletes whose impairment was too significant for them to be competitive in wheelchair basketball.

“When you get to the bottom of the wheelchair basketball classification, that's where the top of wheelchair rugby starts.

“In wheelchair rugby the classes start from 0.5 for athletes with the most impairment, right through to the athletes with the least impairment – 3.5.

“You'll also see that on court. A 3.5 player will move around the court a lot and a 0.5 player less so. They will be more tactical and blocking.”

Iain concluded the interview with Loughborough Sport by sharing his thoughts on how the Paralympic Games has provided a platform for disabled people to excel:

“For me, the Paralympic Games puts disabled people in elite sport. That's one of the many places where disabled people haven't been able to get into.

“It shifts people's expectations of what disabled people can and cannot do and I think it's hugely impactful and influential.

“The more people round the world that we can get to see and experience Paralympic sport, I think the better and the more inclusive a world we can achieve.”

For all the latest Loughborough news around major global sporting events, visit the University’s dedicated website here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/sport/athletes-global-stage/

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