Para Sailing Classification

Para Sailing is open to athletes with many types of physical, sensory or intellectual impairments including high support needs athletes.

About Para Sailing

The classification system is based on the IPC Classification Code. Athletes must present a permanent eligible impairment resulting from a recognised underlying health condition, and must meet minimum eligibility criteria in order to be allowed to compete.

Para Sailing Classification

All athletes competing in World Sailing’s international Para Sailing events must have a Para World Sailing Classification.

The purpose of the Para World Sailing Classification system is to measure the sailor’s ability in order to:

  • Enable fair and equitable competition at all levels;
  • In some formats, encourage crews of mixed classification to compete together and complement each other’s disability;
  • Only measure functional limitations caused by physical capability;
  • Not be affected by the sailing skills, training or talent of the participant.

Sailors may be classified with a sport class from 7 points to 1 point, with 7 indicating the least severe and 1 indicating the most severe eligible impairment.

The following are the benchmark profiles of athletes in each sports class:

1 point

Quadriplegic, complete; double through shoulder amputation.

2 points

Double above elbow amputation; single above elbow amputation and single below elbow amputation points.

3 points

Single above knee amputation and single above elbow amputation double below elbow amputation.

4 points

Single through shoulder amputation; double above knee amputation; double below knee amputation without prosthesis; single above knee and single below knee amputation without prostheses.

5 points

Single above elbow amputation; single above knee amputation and single below knee amputation, with prostheses.

6 points

Double below knee amputation, with prostheses; single below knee amputation.

7 points

Single above knee amputation; single below knee amputation without prosthesis (excluding Syme’s Amputation or equivalent).