To ensure competition is fair and equal, all Paralympic sports have a system in place which ensures that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus, the same factors that account for success in sport for able bodied athletes.

This process is called classification and its purpose is to minimise the impact of impairments on the activity (sport discipline). Having the impairment thus is not sufficient. The impact on the sport must be proved, and each in Paralympic sport, the criteria of grouping athletes by the degree of activity limitation resulting from the impairment are named ‘Sport Classes’. Through classification, it is determined which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped together for competition. This, to a certain extent, is similar to grouping athletes by age, gender or weight.

Classification is sport-specific because an impairment affects the ability to perform in different sports to a different extent. As a consequence, an athlete may meet the criteria in one sport, but may not meet the criteria in another sport.

Shooting Classification

In Shooting, there are two different sport classes for athletes with physical impairments. All athletes eligible for Shooting have an impairment of their lower limbs, such as an amputation or a loss of muscle strength, and thus you will see most of them compete in a seated position.

Sport Class SH1:

Athletes in this sport class either shoot with a pistol or a rifle. They do not require a shooting stand, because their arms are affected by impairment to a lesser extent and allow for sufficient support of the pistol or rifle. Eligible pistol shooters, for example, have an impaired non-shooting arm, such as amputation or muscle weakness.

Sport Class SH2:

This sport class is designated to shooters with a more severe impairment in the upper limbs, which necessitates them to use a shooting stand. Unlike the SH1 class they shoot with a rifle only and not with pistols.

Classification Rules and Regulations

The IPC Shooting Classification Rules and Regulations were published and came into force on May 2012 and can be found under Releated Documents on this page.

The rules reflect the wording of the IPC Classification Code and are a revised version of the previous IPC Classification Rules.

Also in the Related Documents section on this page is the IPC Shooting Classification and Consent form, which is for the use of International Classifers only, and the Classification Protest Form.