In any sport deciding who should compete against whom is always an issue. For example, in boxing we have division by weight, in golf by handicap, in football by league etc, in an effort to provide an equal opportunity, a level playing field.

In sport for people with cerebral palsy this grouping or classification is particularly important. Everybody is unique, but none more so than those with cerebral palsy, where it is virtually impossible to find two people with identical impairment. Cerebral palsy has a specific medical definition; it is congenital brain damage resulting in locomotor dysfunction.

In general terms this means the muscles of movement are affected causing difficulty with balance and co-ordination.

There are three main types of cerebral palsy:

One produces a tightness of muscles, which manifests itself in difficulty in joint movement. This is referred to as spastic cerebral palsy.

Another type is where the body is never at rest. There is an inability to perform an isolated movement, any action and all or parts of the rest of the body kicks in, eg head and arm movement when speaking. This is athetoid cerebral palsy.

Thirdly, and least commonly, is ataxic cerebral palsy, where the body can be at rest, but any action causes a jerky movement.

To be eligible for disability sport for people with cerebral palsy a diagnosis of cerebral palsy is not, in itself, sufficient. The impairment must be apparent without resort to use of muscle testing equipment, scans etc. and the impairment must impact on the performance of the chosen sport.

From those whose impairment is apparent a system of eight classes is used. Classes 1 – 4 are for those who use a wheelchair for sport. It is a continuum, with class 1 for the athlete with the most impairment and class 4 for the least affected wheelchair user.

In a little more detail:

Class 1 is for the most severely disabled. Individuals who have to use an electric chair for independent mobility and who will need assistance with daily living skills. All four limbs will be severely affected.

Class 2 athletes often use an electric chair for preference, as whilst they can propel a manual wheelchair, slopes, uneven ground and distance will present problems. Again, all four limbs will be affected, but some limited function will be evident.

Class 3 is appropriate where the athlete can manipulate a wheelchair, but will usually have some difficulty in trunk range of movement and balance, affecting their wheelchair mobility. At least one upper limb will be significantly affected.

The athlete who presents with no functional limitation of upper limbs, excellent wheelchair control and good trunk mobility will be Class 4.

Classes 1 – 4 are a seated continuum. Classes 5, 6,7 and 8 are for standing athletes. This section of classes is not a continuum, each number denotes a particular style of impairment.

Class 5 athletes’ impairment affects them from the waist down; both legs are affected but athletes compete in an upright position.

Class 6 is relevant when all four limbs are affected. Most commonly, but not exclusively this class of athletes have uncontrolled movement.

Class 7 athletes also have half of their body affected, but in this case it is one side (one arm and leg on the same side).

Class 8 is the minimal impairment standing class.

There is a lot of unnecessary mystique about classification. It is simply a system of elimination:

Do the athletes compete from a chair or in a standing position?

Which limbs are affected?

How does this affect their sport?

Athletes should always be classified in their competition chair if they use one, or with any other equipment they use for their sport.

For a complete guide to classification consult the CP-ISRA Rules Manual on the international website: www.cpisra.org.

Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association is the international sports organisation for athletes with cerebral palsy, traumatic or acquired brain damage.