CLASSIFICATION CODE REVIEW
REVIEW OF THE 2015 IPC ATHLETE CLASSIFICATION CODE
Following the Governing Board's approval for a multi-year review of the 2015 IPC Athlete Classification Code in January 2021, the IPC Extraordinary General Assembly (EGA) approved the new 2025 IPC Classification Code on 17 May 2024. This concluded a three-phase consultation process, which saw over 80 per cent of the IPC’s membership, as well as the Athlete community, engage in the process.
Press release: IPC members approve the new Classification Code at Extraordinary General Assembly
The final versions of the 2025 IPC Classification Code and three International Standards, are now available as part of the IPC Handbook.
A combined PDF containing all four documents is also available to download below:
To help explain some of the changes, a summary document, flowchart, presentation slides from additional consultation calls, and a fictional Athlete case study have been provided below:
- Summary of Changes - Final Code and International Standards
- Classification flowchart
- Code review final draft Membership calls - slide deck and Q&A (PDF)
- The Classification case of Azibo | Classification now and under the new Code (online resource)
For further information about the Code review process and details of previous phases, please see further down the page.
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
For general enquiries about the Code review, please contact codereview@paralympic.org.
CODE REVIEW PROCESS
While classification is a complex and ever-evolving area, improving the IPC Athlete Classification Code is seen as essential for the continued development of the Paralympic Movement.
The Code Drafting Team was established by the IPC Governing Board to oversee the Review. Its role is to obtain and analyse stakeholder feedback, and to determine how best to incorporate such feedback into working drafts of the new Code. It is led by an independent chair, Scott Field. The South African swimmer, who competed in the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, has regular dialogue and presents updates to the IPC General Assembly, Governing Board and Membership.
At this stage, it is envisaged that implementation of the new IPC Athlete Classification Code will be January 2025 for summer sports and July 2026 for winter sports. The current 2015 IPC Athlete Classification Code and accompanying International Standards remain in place and fully effective until the new Code’s implementation date.
The documents below contain more detailed information on the procedure and timescales of the Code review, as well as the composition of the Code Drafting Team. These documents were last updated in March 2023 and subsequently approved by the IPC Governing Board.
“It is an exciting opportunity for all to play their part in creating a better, more equitable Paralympic Movement.”
— Scott Field, Chair of the Code Drafting Team
CONSULTATION PHASES
Gathering feedback through consultation is at the heart of the Code review. Extensive feedback has been gathered and analysed by the Code Drafting Team through three phases of open consultation which took place between 2021-2023:
• Phase 1 consultation – ended 17 September 2021
• Phase 2 consultation – ended 15 December 2022
• Phase 3 consultation - ended 31 October 2023
Regular meetings and calls were held with the IPC Membership throughout the consultation phases, along with a series of education sessions, with more planned once the final documents are published in 2024. The Code Drafting Team is also supported by several sub-groups, who lead on drafting the various supporting documents.
Feedback was encouraged from anyone with an interest in Classification across the Movement, including consultation with the IPC Athletes’ Council, IPC Medical Committee, IPC Science and Research Working Group, IPC Board of Appeal of Classification, classifiers, human rights experts, and other appropriate experts.
ARCHIVE
Phase 3 consultation (July - October 2023)
Summary of Changes
- Summary of Changes - Phase 3 (English)
- Summary of Changes - Phase 3 (French)
- Summary of Changes - Phase 3 (Spanish)
Key documents
- Draft IPC Classification Code (version July 2023)
- Draft Classification flowchart (version October 2023)
- Draft International Standard for Classification Personnel and Training (version July 2023)
- Draft International Standard for Classification Data Protection (version July 2022)
- Draft International Standard for Intentional Misrepresentation (version July 2023)
- Code review phase three consultation slide deck (PDF)
Feedback
An online survey was made available to anybody wishing to submit written feedback on targeted questions found in the Summary of Changes. Space to comment on the Code and International Standards was also provided.
Press releases
- Third and final phase of IPC Classification Code Review consultation goes live (25 July 2023)
- Classification Code review milestone reached at IPC’s Annual Classification Meeting (08 Nov 2023)
Phase 2 consultation (August - December 2022)
Summary of Changes
To introduce the new drafts, a Summary of Changes explaining the rationale for key additions and amendments within the draft Code and International Standards was published:
- Summary of Changes - Phase 2 (English)
- Summary of Changes - Phase 2 (French)
- Summary of Changes - Phase 2 (Spanish)
Key documents
The second draft of the Code incorporated some (but not all) of the International Standards. Therefore, the following documents were made available for feedback:
- Draft IPC Classification Code (version July 2022)
- Draft Classification flowchart (version July 2022)
- Draft International Standard for Classification Personnel and Training (version July 2022)
- Draft International Standard for Classification Data Protection (version July 2022)
Feedback
As part of the second phase of the Code review, a survey exercise was conducted, resulting in the following feedback and guiding the direction of the final consultation phase:
Press releases
Phase 1 consultation (May - October 2021)
Key documents
Press releases