“Life will come at you fast…Be Faster!”-Noah
A lot of people participate in Para-Sports
Para-Sports exist for anyone who has a physical disability from minor to severe. Even a lot of people without any physical disability compete in Para-Sports because they are fun and the competition level is so high. While people without any qualifying disability do not participate in international competition that is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, most local, regional and national leagues allow people with no disability at all to compete.
2025 University of Illinois Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team
How does that Work? Is it Fair?
The core of Para-Sport competition is classification systems. Each sport has its own way of leveling the field by classifying individuals based on the severity of their disability. As an example in the picture below you will see how multiple classifications compete in wheelchair basketball at the same time. In wheelchair basketball each player is given a classification between 1 and 4.5. The total of the 5 players on the same team on the court cannot be more than 14.
Estimates are that 6% of the population have a qualifying disability to participate in the Paralympics.
