page_title: Para-Nordic skiing classification
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Para-Nordic skiing classification / History
caption_attribution_description: Anna Burmistrova of Russia celebrating winning the gold medal during the Women's 3km Pursuit Standing Biathlon at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics
context_page_description: Para-Nordic skiing classification is the classification system for para-Nordic skiing which includes the biathlon and cross country events. The classifications for Para-Nordic skiing mirrors the classifications for Para-Alpine skiing with some exceptions. A functional mobility and medical classification is in use, with skiers being divided into three groups: standing skiers, sit skiers and visually impaired skiers. International classification is governed by International Paralympic Committee, Nordic Skiing. Other classification is handled by national bodies. Before the IPC-NS took over classification, a number of organizations handled classification based on the type of disability.
  The first classification system for the sport was developed in Scandinavia and was a medical system for skiers with amputations. At the time, other types of disability were not eligible for classification. In developing a system for use at the first Winter Paralympics, organisers wanted to get away from a medical classification system and use a functional system, but they ended up with a system based on equipment utilised by the skier instead.
context_section_description: Classification for winter sport started out as a medical one before moving to a functional system. The earliest classification systems for the sport were developed in Scandinavia. The original classification system was for people with amputations, with classification based on the type of amputation as determined by a medical expert.  Other classes of disability were not eligible to be classified and compete early in the sport's history.
  Going into the first winter Paralympic Games, the 1976 Winter Paralympics, the organisers had a difference of opinion with Paralympic Games founder Ludwig Guttmann, because they wanted a functional classification, not medical classification system, from the onset.  They largely succeeded, although the system that was developed in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, that ended up being used was based on equipment utilised by the skier instead of a true functional classification system. During the 1970s, equipment was first being developed for skiers with spinal injuries and a classification system had yet to become fully developed for the sport.
  In 1983, classification for cerebral palsy competitors in this sport was done by the Cerebral Palsy-International Sports and Recreation Association. The classification used the classification system designed for track events. In 1983, there were five cerebral palsy classifications. During the 1980s, there were three sit-ski classes and seven other classes. During the 1980s, while not formally part of the para-skiing classification system, intellectual disability Nordic skiing classes did exist as part of the Special Olympics movement. The sport was one sports people with disabilities were more likely to play during the 1990s.
  Prior to 1988, the classification assessment process generally involved a medical exam to determine the classification.  The change in winter disability sport classification towards a more formal functional classification system happened more quickly as a result of changes being made in wheelchair basketball classification that started in 1983. Prior to the 1988 Games, sit skiing was not included on the Paralympic programme.  Norway worked to change this by added sit skiing classifications to the World Championships in 1986.
  Functional classification testing was developed in 1989 for Nordic sit skiing, with the same system still being used for the 1998 Winter Paralympics.  The tests included hand, arm and shoulder coordination, a sitting balance in the sagittal plane test, a stability sagittal plane test, a sitting balance test in the frontal planes, and a functional sitting ability test of the frontal and sagittal planes with an examination of sideways displacement.
  By the 1990s, an integrated classification approach was tried in Nordic skiing had been developed using a percentage system that would allow for multiple classes to compete against each other in the same event using a formula to create a time finish that would enable fair comparisons for skiers of different functional ability.  In 1997/1998, this was defined as 84% for LW10, 93% for LW11 and 100% for LW12. Their finishing time would then be multiplied against this percentage to determine where they finished. A variant of this system was still in place for the 2010 Winter Paralympics. The Canadian Paralympic Committee explains how this works with the following example: "Athlete A is classified as LW6 with a factor of 91% finishes the race in 1 minute, their final race time is 54.6 seconds.    Athlete B is classified as LW5 with a factor of 79% finishes the race in 1 minute and 2 seconds, their final race time is 48.98 seconds.    Athlete B wins.  Therefore, the athlete who completed the race fastest may not be the winner and gold medalist." For the 2008 to 2010 ski seasons, the following percentages were used:
  The move from a medical classification to a functional classification system continued during the 1990s. There were conversations about whether or not less-disabled wintersport athletes should be competing in disability winter sport and if they should instead be competing 
caption: Anna Burmistrova of Russia celebrating winning the gold medal during the Women's 3km Pursuit Standing Biathlon at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics
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