Sport for athletes with an impairment has existed for more than 100 years. It was not until after World War II, however, that it was widely introduced. The purpose of it at that time was to assist the large number of war veterans and civilians who had been injured during wartime.

On 29 July 1948, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann organised a competition for wheelchair athletes at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Great Britain. Sixteen injured servicemen and women took part in archery at the inaugural Stoke Mandeville Games, which later became the Paralympic Games.

Classification is the cornerstone of the Paralympic Movement; it determines which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped together for competition. In Para sports, athletes are grouped by the degree of activity limitation resulting from the impairment. This, to a certain extent, is similar to grouping athletes by age, gender or weight.

Classification aims to minimise the impact of the impairment on athletes' performance so that the sporting excellence determines which athlete or team is ultimately victorious. Ensuring that athletes are classified prior to competing is crucial to safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the competition.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recognises a total of 28 Paralympic sports. The 22 summer sports are Para archery, Para athletics, Para badminton, blind football, boccia, Para canoe, Para cycling, Para equestrian, goalball, Para judo, Para powerlifting, Para rowing, shooting Para sport, sitting volleyball, Para swimming, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby, and wheelchair tennis.

Winter sports include Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard, and wheelchair curling.