This year, IPC Swimming, the international federation for para-swimming, will begin a three-year review into its physical and visual impairment classification system. The review comes amid a period of contentious debate in the para-swimming community over the classification standards and process.
Here on our site, the debate has raged stronger than ever. The para-swimming classification system has been, hands-down, the hottest topic of conversation within the SwimSwam community since June. One need only read about the case of Australian swimmer Maddison Elliott at this year’s Worlds to see that the current system is broken. Elliott arrived at Para Worlds in Glasgow classified as a swimmer in the S9 class, swam slower than her best time in her first 100 back of the meet (1:25.42), as a result got moved to the S8 class, where she went significantly faster (1:17.93) and broke the S8 world record.
The International Paralympic Committee revised and approved their classification code in November, and now IPC Swimming is gathering researchers and experts from around the world to figure out how to best serve its Paralympic swimmers.
The process will begin by finalizing contracts with research institutions and conducting interviews with experts, athletes, and coaches to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the current system. The first research area will focus on drag, propulsion, and coordination within the S1-S10 categories.
Research into the visual impairment system (S11-S13) is already ongoing at the Free University of Amsterdam.
Changes in the classification system will be announced periodically as the projects end, but no changes will be made before the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
The statement from Xavier Gonzalez, IPC’s chief executive officer, is printed below. For the full release, click here.
“We have been building towards this review for quite some time and have identified a series of steps that need to be taken in order to strengthen the current classification system. The existing and new research projects will now be carried forward by a project management group featuring athletes, coaches, classifiers and researchers. I hope this review will improve the classification system for all involved in the sport, whilst addressing some of the questions some people have regarding the existing system. To make the review successful we also need the help of National Paralympic Committees and National Federations with the participation of athletes in research, financial contributions to the research projects and value in kind contributions, such as venues for data collection. We want to be open and transparent about the steps that we are taking all along the way, and will provide regular updates not just to the swimming community and the IPC Membership, but also to fans and the media as well.”
Six months on and still we are discussing these two? Six months on and still the IPC have done nothing?
Having watched these videos, and more;
Maddison Elliott needs to train. She would have been an excellent young swimmer in a more able class had she trained yet now she has talent that is going to be wasted. Simple. No one is going to take her seriously after Glasgow. Undisciplined and lazy swimmers are not a good role model for Paralympic sport and young swimmers with disabilities, just the same as in able bodied competition.
Lakeisha Patterson: I can not see any signs of Cerebal Palsy there at all, none. For ‘being born with CP’ to the extent that… Read more »
If there are any neurologists or neurological physiotherapists out there I would be most grateful if they would explain Lakeisha Patterson’s left hand to me.
My understanding of CP hemiplegia is that muscle contractions cause the shoulder to rotate, and the elbow and wrist to flex.
Miss Patterson would appear just to have loosely flexed fingers and is easily able to extend, or bend back, her wrist.
Assuming it is muscle contractures which is the cause of the clenched hand, how is it possible for her to so easily bend her wrist back? Shouldn’t the wrist be pulled into a flexed position?
Two more links of interest:
http://tenplay.com.au/channel-eleven/totally-wild/episode-details-season-22/tw22-e125
… Read more »
IPC World Championships YouTube videos. Bizarre by all concerned, can not even comment on the ridiculousness. Just watch.
http://youtu.be/3m4vx2N1_QY
400 free S8 Victory ceremony
http://youtu.be/1uUKkx-pVGA
400 freestyle S8 final
http://youtu.be/QUeENjwyLzw
S8 100 free victory ceremony
http://youtu.be/MiOTolObyIA
http://youtu.be/QUeENjwyLzw
100 back S8 final
http://youtu.be/B4Y21TUNqkM
50 freestyle S8 final
http://youtu.be/_5FWl6mQuSM
4×100 medley relay final
Australia. Push a team member around on dias bear hug a competitor not from your own country balancing on prosthetic legs almost knocking to ground?
With swimming, wrongly classed yes. What is wrong with everyone? One of them don’t even seem disabled at all only acting. Great sadness today for sport. Money and medals all that matter to everyone not sportsmanship.
Aussie Karma,
Finally, someone who looks and sees.
Please watch the S8, relay and medal ceremony videos from the 2015 IPC World Championships of both Patterson and team mate Elliott.
The IPC obviously did not.
Seeing Red:
So it’s CP. Hemiplegia.
Note in the video supplied by Seeing Red. Left side , in particular left arm is completely controlled and can maintain a tight streamline dive/entry/streamline to breakout. Also demonstrated in turn. Note Backstroke left arm, yes , classic CP traits, however in FS underwater pull: strong and controlled.
Miss Patterson;
Please post your CP diagnosis issued by your Neurologist.
Pattersons AMP Tomorrow Maker Grant Recipient video where she claims to be born with Parkinsons Disease, Cerebal Pasly left hemiplegia & Epilepsy.
http://youtu.be/O_qir_vjE4Y
Pointless contacting the IPC. They do nothing.
I’ll try again, in less words this time. Aussie Karma, I too have taken a huge risk to try and expose the truth, to connect, to protect our sport. People have to come forward with what they know be that under an alias or not it doesn’t matter in the end. Elliott, Patterson, Kane, Crothers, Jason, Fowler – the list just keeps on growing.
There is no smoke without fire and the IPC have been provided with supporting evidence regarding IM for at least four Australian swimmers. They are making the choice to ignore cheating, not me.
Aussie Karma :- I take your comments very seriously and fully understand why you cannot come forward, hence my alias’. I know the swimmer you are talking about, it’s Australian Ananda Fowler. I also know that she was reported to the International Paralympic Committee regarding her S8 National classification and circumstances surrounding her vision classification in 2014. Swimming Australia were informed on the day she was classified that it was all a sham and did nothing about it, they did not forward the information to the IPC.
The problem is that the IPC do not act on anonymous and don’t investigate. Judging from previous comments on earlier threads and again on this one, Australian swimmers, their coaches and their families… Read more »