To:-National Paralympic Committees
International Sport Federations
International Organisations of Sports
for the Disabled
Regional Organisations
IPC Recognised International Sport
Federations
Bonn, 04 October 20162015 IPC Athlete Classification Code and International Standards
Dear all,It is with pleasure to inform you that the International Standards, accompanying the 2015
Athlete Classification Code have been revised and approved by the IPC Governing Board(GB) on 5 September 2016.
The International Standards are mandatory supplements to the Code and detail technicaland operational requirements for classification. The Standards do not require adoption bythe IPC General Assembly (GA) and are subject to an approval by the IPC GB. This allows
the IPC GB to revise technical and/or operational requirements from time to time. For thesake of transparency, the International Standards, versions IPC GB June 2015, were madeavailable to the Membership in November 2015 when presenting the Code for adoption bythe GA.
Since that date, the IPC Classification Committee further engaged in Membership dialogue
on these documents, and concluded that amendments were required. This resulted from:--input IF Heads of Classification and NPC Classification experts (Girona meetings,October 2015);
recommendations IPC Board of Appeal of Classification, resulting from cases dealt
with over the past period. Some of these cases revealed the need to further consider
a unique interpretation of language provisions in the International Standards;
legal challenge (classification appeal to an IF) due to different interpretations of thewording under the current (2007) Code related documents;
input from NPC Classification experts, gathering in London in May 2016.

International Paralympic Committee
Adenauerallee 212-214
53113 Bonn, Germany

Tel. +49 228 2097-200
Fax +49 228 2097-209

www.paralympic.org
tea.cisic@paralympic.org

All the above were tabled for discussion at the June meeting of the IPC Classification
Committee, in which the Committee was joined by the IPC Legal Department and IPC CEOon this agenda item. It was agreed that the IPC Legal Department would assist the IPC
Classification Committee in finalizing the wording of the International Standards. This work
was finalized in July and August through intensive interaction between both groups.
Finally, no substantial changes were made to the versions made available to theMembership in June 2015, but the International Standards benefitted from significant
wording clarity thanks to the input of the IPC Legal Department. The summary of changes
made per International Standard is enclosed to this letter.
Please be reminded that the 2015 Athlete Classification Code is effective as of 1 January
2017 with compliance required by 1 January 2018. IPC Classification Committee will
announce further details on Compliance criteria, as well as model rules derived from the2015 Code and International Standards, shortly after their next meeting in November 2016.
The IPC Classification Committee greatly appreciates the dedication and exemplary workfrom the International Federations and National Bodies, and from the IPC Management
Team. The Committee is in full support of the improvement in language and clarity indefinitions and these versions are advancing the International Standards to a new level.
We are pleased to share the International Standards with you to enable all para sports totake their classification rules to a higher level in providing the best possible athlete
classification experience to para athletes. The 2015 Athlete Classification Code and theInternational Standards can be found in the IPC Handbook, Section 2, Chapter 1.3.2 andon the Classification webpage.

Kind regards

Xavier Gonzalez

Anne Hart

Chief Executive Officer

Classification Committee Chairperson

International Paralympic Committee

International Paralympic Committee

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Summary of changes made to the International Standards,versions IPC GB June 2015
1International Standard for Athlete Evaluation

Definitions have been added and amended, where needed.
A careful review of word choice across the whole International Standard serves the purposeof a more clear (and hopefully unique) interpretation. In that regards, content previously
inserted as [comment] has been upgraded to articles in the document.
The overall process of Athlete Evaluation has two distinct elements:••

The establishing of an Eligible Impairment, andThe assessment of Minimum Impairment Criteria and allocation of a Sport Class by aClassification Panel.

The International Standard for Athlete Evaluation addresses the second point. All detail on
the assessment of Eligible Impairment has been removed from this Standard and detailed
in the International Standard for Eligible Impairments.
Based on recommendations from the BAC, further clarification has been provided
regarding Article 8 (Athletes who are Not Eligible), particularly when protest submissions
resulted in NE decisions.

2International Standard for Eligible Impairments

This International Standard has been improved significantly by a re-organization of theArticles and in terms of identifying where medical diagnostic documentation in support ofthe assessment of an Eligible Impairment might be required. This resulted from a legal
challenge on the subject, which identified gaps in both 2007 and June 2015 edition of theInternational Standards. The Standard proposes an outline protocol whereby the existenceof an Eligible Impairment can be established.
The introduction of a definition for ‘Underlying Health Condition’ allows for a clearer andmore accessible International Standard.
Content previously inserted as [comment] has been upgraded to articles in the document.

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Further clarification has been provided what happens when an athlete is allocated SportClass NE if he/she does not have an Eligible Impairment, further to recommendations madeby the BAC.

3International Standard for Protests and Appeals

The document adds an explanation to the definitions of Protests and Appeals from theCode, allowing for a very clear operational interpretation.
It is explained in clearer terms that a Protest may not be made for an Athlete that holds
Sport Class NE because the Athlete will automatically be re-assessed (following an analysisof BAC decisions in the course of the last months).
It is clarified that a Chief Classifier has a mandate to dismiss a Protest in absence of a clear
rationale or in absence of a specific rule(s) alleged to have been breached.
Following legal consultation, it is also agreed that a protest panel should have access to theassessment files of the first classification panel.
Appeal rights are an exclusive mandate of the National Body or National Paralympic
Committee.

4International Standard for Classifier Training and Personnel

Amendments restricted to a language check and clarity in wording inserted, whererequired.
Classifier independence and impartiality has been emphasized.

5International Standard for Classification Data Protection

Compliance with German legislation has been introduced in the provisions that apply toclassification research (Article 4).

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