Para-athletics classification for athletes with limb loss. Here is how the system actually works.

The IPC classification system determines who competes against whom in para track and field — not by diagnosis, but by how impairment affects each event. An explanation of the structure, the evaluation process, and what the US entry path looks like.

If you have been around adaptive sport for more than a few months, you have probably heard the word “classification” and understood roughly that it has something to do with who competes against whom. You may not have understood exactly how the system works, how you get classified, or what the process of entering competitive para-sport actually looks like. That gap is understandable — the classification system is not simple, and the documentation is written for administrators as much as athletes.

This is a plain-language explanation of what classification is, how it works for athletes with limb loss in track and field, and what the process of getting classified in the US involves. It is not a substitute for the current World Para Athletics rules or guidance from your national federation — classification criteria and procedures can and do change, and the official documentation is the authority.

What classification is, and what it is not

Classification in para-athletics is not a measure of athletic ability. It is not a ranking system. It is a framework for grouping athletes based on how their impairment affects the specific functions required by their event.

The goal is to make sport competition meaningful: athletes who win or lose in a class do so because of preparation, training, and performance — not because one person has a structural advantage from a significantly more or less limiting impairment. Classification tries to reduce the influence of impairment type and severity on competition outcomes, while still preserving impairment as the criterion for eligibility.

This distinction matters because classification is frequently misunderstood as a measure of severity. An athlete with a below-knee amputation is not classified as “less disabled” than an athlete with an above-knee amputation. They are classified differently because the functional impact of those impairments on locomotion in track events differs — which is the relevant question.

It also means classification is event-specific in some ways. An athlete might compete in a different class in sprinting than in throwing events, because the relevant functions differ.

The structure: T, F, and the number

World Para Athletics (WPA), operating under the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), uses a two-letter prefix and a two-digit number for classification codes:

T stands for track (running and walking events)
F stands for field (throwing and jumping events)

An athlete in class T64 competes in track events; the same athlete’s throwing events would fall under F64. The number is shared across track and field for the same impairment category — what changes is the event context.

The number ranges that are most relevant for athletes with limb loss include:

40s — limb impairment and short stature, competing without a prosthesis (standing)

These classes cover amputees and other athletes with limb impairments who compete without a prosthetic device (or, in some cases, with a prosthesis for daily use but without one for competition). The specific class depends on which limb or limbs are affected and to what degree. Athletes with upper limb amputations, for example, typically compete in classes in the T/F 45–47 range. Athletes with lower limb impairments who compete without prostheses are generally found in T/F 42–44. The exact eligibility criteria for each class are defined in the WPA classification rules and require classifier evaluation to apply — knowing your diagnosis or amputation level is a starting point, not an answer.

60s — lower limb amputees competing with a prosthesis

These classes are specific to athletes using prosthetic devices in competition:

T/F 61 and 62 cover athletes with above-knee (transfemoral) amputations or higher, with distinctions based on whether one or both sides are involved and other impairment characteristics.
T/F 63 covers below-knee (transtibial) amputees who do not use a running prosthesis for track events (they compete without a device).
T/F 64 covers below-knee amputees who use a running-specific prosthesis (a running blade) in track competition.

The T64 class has received significant public attention, in part because the running blades used by athletes in this class — carbon-fiber J-shaped prostheses optimized for sprinting and middle distance — produce a visually distinct form of competition. T64 athletes include some of the most well-known para-athletes in the sport.

The distinction between T63 and T64 is not simply a diagnosis distinction — it is about whether the athlete uses a running prosthesis in competition. This means an athlete’s choice of competition equipment is relevant to classification.

Important caveat: The criteria for each class are defined precisely in the current WPA classification rules. The descriptions above are orienting summaries; they are not sufficient to determine which class you would be assigned. That determination requires a classifier evaluation.

How classification is assigned: the evaluation

Classification is not self-assigned. Athletes are evaluated by trained and certified classifiers — people who have undergone IPC classifier training and are approved to conduct evaluations in their sport.

A typical classification evaluation has three components:

Medical evaluation: Classifiers document your impairment — amputation level, limb involvement, any secondary conditions. This establishes eligibility (whether you have an eligible impairment type for para-athletics at all) and provides the basis for the technical assessment.

Technical evaluation: Classifiers observe how your impairment affects function in the specific activities relevant to your event. For a track athlete, this involves observation of movement and gait. For a field athlete, it involves the throwing or jumping action. The purpose is to assess how the impairment affects sport-specific function — not to measure ability, but to identify which class boundary best reflects the functional impact.

Observation in competition: In some cases, a classification status of “new” requires that classifiers also observe the athlete during actual competition, often at the athlete’s first or second sanctioned event. This allows classifiers to see how impairment affects performance in a real competitive setting.

Following the evaluation, athletes are assigned a class and a classification status: New (requires competition observation), Review (classified, but the evaluation noted factors that may warrant re-evaluation at a future competition), or Confirmed (classification is stable and does not require routine re-evaluation).

An athlete with Confirmed status has cleared the full classification process and can compete without anticipating reclassification at each event.

The US entry path

In the United States, the national governing body for para track and field is US Paralympics Athletics, part of US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). They govern domestic competition and manage athlete registration and development pathways.

The practical steps for a US athlete beginning the process:

1. Register with the IPC’s Sport Data Management System (SDMS). SDMS is the global database through which athletes are registered, classification records are maintained, and competition eligibility is tracked. US athletes access SDMS through US Paralympics Athletics. You will need documentation of your impairment for the registration process.

2. Get a domestic classification evaluation. US Paralympics Athletics organizes classification clinics at major domestic competitions, development camps, and national championships. Before entering international competition, athletes typically need at minimum a domestic classification to compete at US nationals and other IPC-recognized events. Some domestic events have provisions for athletes with a Pending or New classification status.

3. Compete at domestic events. US Paralympic Athletics runs a national competition series, including a national outdoor championships. These events are where most US athletes first compete at a nationally sanctioned level, get observed for competition observation requirements, and work toward a Confirmed classification.

4. International competition. International competition — World Para Athletics Series events, regional championships, and ultimately the Paralympic Games — requires Confirmed or Review classification status. US athletes selected for international teams have typically gone through the full domestic pathway first.

The US Paralympic Trials and Paralympic team selection process are governed by selection criteria that US Paralympics Athletics publishes before each Paralympic cycle. Those criteria include minimum qualifying standards for each event and class — similar to Olympic trials qualifying standards.

What classification is not good at

The classification system has been the subject of ongoing criticism and research, and it is worth being honest about its limitations:

Classification criteria can lag behind equipment changes. As running blade technology has evolved, the relationship between prosthesis type and athletic function has become more complex, and the classification system has struggled at times to keep pace.

Minimal impairment eligibility has been contested. The lower boundary of impairment eligibility — defining the minimum level of impairment required to compete in para-athletics — has been the subject of disputes, revisions, and controversy. Some athletes who competed for years have been reclassified out of eligibility as criteria were updated.

Evidence bases are still developing. The field of classification science — building research foundations for how impairment affects sport-specific function — is active but young. Classifiers are working with better tools than existed a decade ago, but not all classification decisions rest on the same evidentiary footing.

These are real limitations. The system is the best available framework for making para-sport competition meaningful, and it continues to evolve. Athletes entering competitive para-sport should understand that classification is not a final, permanent label — it is a determination that can be updated when criteria or evidence change.

If you are trying to figure out your own situation

The most reliable first step is to contact US Paralympics Athletics directly — either through their website or at a US Paralympic Athletics event. Classifiers and athlete services staff can tell you what your probable classification pathway looks like based on your impairment, what the next domestic competition opportunities are, and what documentation you will need.

The second useful step is to connect with other athletes in adaptive track and field. Para-sport communities — through Move United affiliates, Challenged Athletes Foundation–supported programs, and adaptive sport programs at rehabilitation centers — often include athletes who have already navigated the classification process and can describe what it looked like in practice. That peer knowledge is not a substitute for the official process, but it is often much faster at answering “what actually happens at an evaluation” than anything published on a website.

A note on this article: Para-athletics classification rules and procedures are maintained and updated by World Para Athletics and the International Paralympic Committee. The descriptions in this article reflect the general structure of the system as of publication but are not a substitute for current WPA classification documentation or guidance from US Paralympics Athletics. Rules change; verify with official sources before making decisions based on classification requirements.