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Classification is a unique and integral part of sport for people with a disability. The purpose of classification is to ensure fair and equitable competition at all levels of sport and to allow athletes to compete at the highest level, regardless of individual differences in physical function.

Classification systems have been in use in sport for people with a disability since the mid-1940s. The early classification systems were based on medical diagnosis such as spinal cord injury, and were not specific for the unique functional demands of each sport. However, more recent transitions from medical classification to sport-specific classification systems have resulted in functional classification, where classification is based on an athlete’s functional abilities specific to the physical demands of each unique sport. Functional classification systems ensure that athletes with a combination of impaired or absent upper and lower limb movement have an opportunity to play the sport and that the strategies and skills of competing teams and athletes, rather than the amount of movement of the athletes, are the factors determining success in competition.