SPORT CLASS STATUS & SPORT CLASS The ITU currently defines three


international sport class statuses for allocation following athlete evaluation. A sport class status is allocated to each athlete to indicate evaluation requirements and protest opportunities. These three current paratriathlon sport


class statuses are: P – permanent, R – review, T – temporary. The ITU currently utilizes six sport classes


within the paratriathlon classification system. These are the “groups” utilized during


competition and are labeled as: TRI 1, TRI 2, TRI 3, TRI 4, TRI 5 and TRI 6.


PARATRIATHLON SPORT CLASSES TRI 1: athletes must use a handcycle on the bike course and a racing wheelchair on the run course. Impairments in this sport class include paraplegia, tetraplegia, polio and double leg amputees.


TRI 2: athletes with a severe leg impairment who must ride a bike and run with prosthesis/ crutches. Impairments in this sport class include single above-knee amputees.


TRI 3: athletes who fit into the Les Autres impairment category who will ride a bike and run [may be with prosthesis/crutches]. Impairments in this sport class include multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple amputations, paralysis in multiple limbs.


TRI 4: athletes with an arm impairment who will ride a bike [may use prosthesis/brace/ sling] and run. Impairments in this sport class include arm amputees, other upper limb impairments.


TRI 5: athletes with a moderate leg impairment who will ride a bike and run with prosthesis/crutches. Impairments in this sport class include single below-knee amputees.


TRI 6: athletes with a visual impairment. A handler of the same gender is mandatory throughout the race. Athletes will ride a tandem bike and may use a tether during the run.


Ben Solomon PERFORMANCECOACHING | page 5


CLASSIFIERS & CLASSIFICATION PANELS A classifier is a person authorized as an official by the ITU to evaluate athletes while


serving as a member of a classification panel. Classifiers are trained and certified for paratriathlon classification by the ITU. A classification panel is a group of classifiers empowered by the rules of the ITU


to evaluate athletes, allocate the sport class and designate the sport class status. International classification panels must include a minimum of two classifiers.


WHAT IS A PROTEST? A protest is the procedure by which a formal objection to an athlete’s sport class is


made and subsequently resolved. Protest procedures for each sport are included in the classification rules of the ITU.


WHAT IS AN APPEAL? An appeal is the procedure by which a formal objection to the manner in which


classification procedures have been conducted is submitted and subsequently resolved. The International Paralympic Committee Board of Appeal on Classification [BAC] is the appeal body for the Paralympic Games.


ONLINE RESOURCES for more information including classification documents, forms, manuals and master


lists visit the following websites: International Triathlon Union (ITU) – www.triathlon.org International Paralympic Committee (IPC) – www.paralympic.org USA Triathlon – www.usatriathlon.org U.S. Paralympics – www.usparalympics.org


Julie O’Neill currently serves as the Team Leader of Sport Performance for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). In this position, O’Neill directs the day-to-day operations for one of five Sport Performance Teams at the USOC. Additionally, she has been an elite-level swimming coach and was the 2006 U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Coach of the Year. She has conducted classification for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) since 2003, and is presently a Level II international classifier for the sport of swimming and an authorized IPC Classification Educator. She has served as the Chief Classifier for major events such as the World Championships on numerous occasions


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