Paraclimbing is competitive climbing for athletes with disabilities.
The classification system defines who is eligible to compete in paraclimbing and groups athletes with eligible impairments into sports classes. Athletes are placed into a sport class based on how much their impairment affects their ability to carry out the fundamental activities in paraclimbing.[1]
Sports classification for competitions differentiates paraclimbing from adaptive climbing in general.
The IFSC has been hosting paraclimbing competitions since the first international event in 2006 in Ekaterinburg, Russia. The sport grew, and a regular circuit was added to the IFSC calendar from 2010. IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships have taken place since 2011. The IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships run alongside the IFSC Climbing World Championships, promoting para athletes on the same stage as other athletes.[2] [3]
In January 2017 the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granted the IFSC the status of "Recognised International Federation".[4]
In October 2018 the IFSC announced a plan for developing paralimbing. The IFSC Strategic Plan 2020–2028 includes plans to "professionalise paraclimbing to meet IPC standards and aim at its inclusion in future Paralympic Games editions, starting from Los Angeles 2028."[5]
In 2023 three Paraclimbing World Cups (Innsbruck in Austria, Swiss venue Villars and an unspecified location in the United States) and the World Championships[6] (Bern, Switzerland) are planned.[7]
In competition climbing, there are three climbing formats: lead, speed, and boulder. Lead is the dominant format.[8]
In competitions ranking is based on the furthest reached height while climbing. Competitors try unknown routes until they fall. If rankings are the same, previous round results or time is used to rank the athletes.
A wide range of different people take part in Paraclimbing, including visually impaired climbers, climbers with limb differences[9] and those with brain injuries or mobility impairments.[10] [11] Higher numbers equate to higher functionality (less impairment), lower numbers equate to lower functionality (more impairment).[12]
| Visual impairment | B1 | Visual acuity is poorer than LogMAR 2.60 (blindness) | |
| B2 | LogMAR of 1.50 − 2.60 and/or visual field of less than 10° | ||
| B3 | LogMAR of 1 − 1.40 (20/200 − 20/500 on the Snellen chart) and/or visual field of less than 40° | ||
| Upper limb(s) | AU2 | One upper limb has reduced function below the athletes elbow and does not have afunctional wrist joint | |
| AU3 | One hand or multiple digits across both hands are absent or have reduced function | ||
| Lower limb(s) | AL1 | Significantly reduced functional use for climbing or absence of bilateral lower limbs | |
| AL2 | Impairment in a single lower limb or leg length difference | ||
| Range and power | RP1 | Impairment across all eligible impairment types with severe impairment to function affecting at least 2 limbs or a single upper limb is absent or has severely limited functional use | |
| RP2 | Impairment across all eligible impairment types with moderate impairment to function affecting the trunk and/or limbs | ||
| RP3 | Impairment across all eligible impairment types with mild impairment to function affecting the trunk and/or limbs |
Before an official IFSC event (World Cup or World Championships), there is an evaluation session for those who require classification. During this evaluation session, classifiers test the Para-athlete to determine the correct sport class for them. Medical documentation is checked by the classifiers in advance.
If there is an insufficient number of competitors in a given category, this category can be merged into another, 'harder' category. In world championships at least six athletes from four countries must compete in each category, while world cups require four athletes from three countries. Merges may be performed sequentially until the required number of competitors is met.