CLASSIFICATION IN PARA ICE HOCKEY

To ensure competition is fair and equal, all Paralympic sports have a system in place which ensures that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus, the same factors that account for success in sport for able bodied athletes.

This process is called classification and its purpose is to minimise the impact of impairments on the activity (sport discipline). Having the impairment thus is not sufficient.

The impact on the sport must be proved, and in each Paralympic sport, the criteria of grouping athletes by the degree of activity limitation resulting from the impairment are named ‘Sport Classes’.

Through classification, it is determined which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped together for competition. This, to a certain extent, is similar to grouping athletes by age, gender or weight.

Classification is sport-specific because an impairment affects the ability to perform in different sports to a different extent. As a consequence, an athlete may meet the criteria in one sport, but may not meet the criteria in another sport.

 

In Para Ice Hockey there is only one sport class.

Athletes have to have an impairment in the lower part of their body that would prevent them from competing in able-bodied ice hockey. Players, for example, have amputations affecting their legs, stiffness of the ankle or knee joint, or a leg length difference of at least 7cm. Some players also have muscle weakness in their legs, for example due to paraplegia.

All players of a team must meet the impairment criteria to compete in Para ice hockey, so that the impact of impairment on the competition outcome is minimised.

FORMS AND DOCUMENTS

World Para Ice Hockey Classification Rules (Updated July 2017)

World Para Ice Hockey Classification Protest Form (Uploaded 1 August 2013)

World Para Medical Review Request Form (Uploaded October 2020)

World Para Ice Hockey Medical Diagnostics Form (Updated 22 May 2018)