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Athlete Eligibility and Classification

Eligibility and classification are essential for fair competition in para sport.

For all sports, eligibility is the first stage any athlete with an intellectual impairment must go through to compete.

In some sports with a Paralympic pathway, classification is also mandatory.

  • Eligibility ensures the athlete has a minimum eligible impairment in line with the IPC Classification Code. It is a process managed worldwide by Virtus.
  • Classification establishes whether the impairment has an impact on sports performance and is a process managed by the International Federation for the sport.

For Virtus and many other competitions, only eligibility is required. For Paralympic competition, eligibility and classification are required.


Eligible Groups

Intellectual impairment is a global (or umbrella) term for a range of cognitive and developmental conditions.

Within intellectual impairment, there are three eligible groups for Virtus competition:

II1

Athletes with an intellectual disability

This is the original eligibility group for athletes with disability and is included (in some sports) in the Paralympic Games. Athletes compete in swimming, athletics and table tennis in S14, T/F20 and class 11 respectively.

The eligibility criteria is based upon the World Health Organisation and American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) research and guidance, and in simple terms the criteria state that an athlete must show:

  • An IQ of 75 or lower
  • Significant limitations in adaptive behaviour as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills
  • Their impairment must have been diagnosed before the age of 22 (i.e. in the developmental stage of their life)

Athletes in the II1 group have certain challenges to overcome during competition. These include pacing during a race, tactics, and fine adjustments such as take-off points in jumping events.

II1 National And International Eligibility

For II1 athletes, there are two levels of eligibility. Athletes should consult with their Member organisation carefully to identify which level they should apply for.

  • Level 1 – II1 National Eligibility – permits entry to some developmental events and some sanctioned national events.
  • Level 2 – II1 International Eligibility – permits entry to regional and World Championships and is a pre-requirement of Paralympic sports classification.
II2

Athletes with an intellectual disability and significant additional impairment

It is very common for people with intellectual disability to also have physical and/or sensory impairments such as cerebral palsy or visual impairments. Other impairments may include differences in anatomical and muscular structures and heart and breathing problems. Intellectual and physical/sensory impairments often impact together meaning that athletes have to adapt to and overcome both.

Some syndromes which cause intellectual disability also have additional impairments attached. Down Syndrome is one of these and is the most common form of genetically identified intellectual impairment.

The II2 was introduced to reflect the variety of impairments that can accompany an intellectual disability and ensure fairer competition.

II3

Athletes with autism

Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as it is now commonly known, is defined by WHO as a group of complex brain development disorders situated on a continuum of severity. These are characterised by difficulties in social interaction and communication and restricted and repetitive interests and activities.

Awareness of autism and ASD is growing across the world in both adults and children. Around 60-70 per cent of children who are diagnosed with autism are also diagnosed with intellectual impairment. However, some people do not have intellectual impairments, and this condition was previously referred to as Asperger’s syndrome, or is sometimes called high functioning autism.

This new group has been developed by Virtus to provide life-changing opportunities and to enable those people with autism to compete at the highest levels of sport.

The eligibility criteria for II3 is:

  • A formal diagnosis of autism (ASD) carried out by a qualified practitioner using accepted diagnostic techniques.

Virtus will be monitoring and evaluating the new eligibility groups over time to refine and develop the criteria. It reserves the right to amend or remove the eligibility criteria at any time. The new criteria are specific to Virtus competition only.

Applying For Athlete Eligibility

Athletes wishing to apply for athlete eligibility must contact their National Member Organisation. Applications will not be accepted unless they are submitted by a Virtus member organisation.

Athletes must appear on the Master List no later than the final entry deadline of the competition for which the athlete is considering entry (these dates can be found on the events page).

  • New applications for national eligibility should be submitted at least 4 weeks before the final entry deadline.
  • New applications for international eligibility should be submitted at least 12 weeks before the final entry deadline.

Please note that there is no ‘guest’ entry to events.


Resources for Virtus Member Organisations

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Eligibility Guidance Notes - ENGLISH (v12_Jan_23)

1 file(s) 258 KB
Download

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Eligibility Application Form - ENGLISH

1 file(s) 922 KB
Download

Eligibility Upload Portal (National Member Organisations Only)

Complete the TSAL

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Virtus Sport

Virtus is the brand name of the International Sports Federation for athletes with intellectual impairment and is a founding member of the International Paralympic Committee. Registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in the UK (1173901)

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