A confusing maze in search of fairness

Paralympics are more than a benign version of the Olympics. In fact, a few performances are better

There are 4,403 Paralympic athletes competing in Tokyo, each with unique differences that have to be classified. Lines have to be drawn, in the quest for fairness, to group similar impairments, or impairments that yield similar results.

It's a confusing maze. And make no mistake, the Paralympics are competitive and athletes are aware that no matter where a classification line is drawn, some are likely to benefit more than others.

Winning leads to gold medals, sponsorship deals, and other outside funding. And some teams are even known to recruit athletes in that top range, and often younger athletes.

"The problem with the classification is that if you are at the bottom edge you are not happy," said Heinrich Popow, a two-time gold medalist in track and field.

"The athletes always want to have the best classification."

Able-bodied athletes have advantages in certain sports, and athletes with disabilities are not entirely different.

There are 10 impairment groups in the Paralympics: eight involve physical impairments, and the other groupings are for visual and intellectual impairments. But the 22 Paralympic sports adjust the groups to suit their sport, swelling the classifications. Some athletes say they're not always fair.

"If we think we can swim or run the same times as everyone else, we feel good being in the class," Popow said.

"But if we feel we're doing our best and can't even reach the limit to qualify, or pass through the heats, you start to complain."

The International Paralympic Committee has just begun a periodic review of the classification system, but changes are unlikely until after the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, spokesman Craig Spence said.

Most athletes agree there must be classes, but they still may dispute the logic or science behind them.

"To be honest, athletes don't understand the system," Popow said.

Tea Cisic is the head of classification for the IPC. A kinesiologist, it's her job to access the impairments.

"The most important thing for us in the future is to clarity the question: Are we going to go for being a more professional sport, or are we going more for being a motivational sport for the society?" Popow asked.

"If we go more to the professional side, we won't talk so much about inclusion because it will be exclusion. We have marks to be set. Athletes have to fulfil higher levels to attend the Paralympics."