Para Athletes

Get Active, Meet New People, and Join Your Local Athletics Club

Are you wanting to get active, meet new people and participate at your local athletics club?

Athletics can help you connect to a range of opportunities where you can be involved
in athletics activities and programs at your local club as well as participate in
mainstream, state competitions and national competitions.

There is also an elite pathway program that offers you the opportunity to represent
Australia at the Paralympics and World Para Athletics Championships plus other
non-Paralympic pathway competitions.

Australian Athletics manages the National Classification Structure for Para-athletics
and partners with four National Sports Organisations in delivering classification. In total there are five groups recognised.

The five groups and organisations involved in their classification include:

What is Multi-Class Athletics?​

Multi-Class Athletics is a competition format that allows athletes with different physical impairments to compete together in the same events. To ensure fair competition, athletes are grouped by classification categories, and performance results are adjusted based on their impairments. This system provides a platform for athletes with various disabilities to compete against each other and demonstrate their abilities in an inclusive environment.

What is Classification?

Classification is an assessment process that groups athletes with similar disabilities to create fair and meaningful competition. It evaluates how a disability affects an athlete’s ability to run, throw, and jump in athletics. A classification identifies the severity of the impairment and its impact on performance, ensuring athletes with similar abilities compete against each other.

Eligible physical impairments include conditions like hypertonia (e.g., Cerebral Palsy, acquired brain injury), ataxia, athetosis, impaired muscle power (e.g., spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy), impaired range of motion (e.g., Arthrogryposis), limb deficiency (e.g., amputation, dysmelia), leg length difference, and short stature. Please note that a minimal impairment criterion must be met for eligibility.

Three Types of Classification

  1. Provisional Classification
    Provisional Classification is for athletes who wish to compete at local club, school, regional, and state levels. 
  2. National Level Classification
    National Level Classification is for athletes aiming to compete at the national level. 
  3. International Classification
    Athletes wishing to represent Australia internationally will need an International Level Classification. You can find more information here.

More Information

Athletics Australia manages the National Classification Structure for Para-athletics in partnership with four National Sports Organisations. There are five impairment groups recognised in Para-athletics. For more details go to Athletics Australia page here.