How are Paralympic athletes classified?

Classification is a key part of Paralympic sport, to ensure fair competition and minimise the impact of impairments.

All 22 Paralympic disciplines have sport-specific classification criteria and some sports are open only to those with specific impairments, such as football, which is played by athletes with cerebral palsy.

Athletes in various sports are often grouped by age or weight and classification is similar, determining which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how they are grouped together.

As a viewer of the Paralympics as a sporting contest, it is important to have faith that the classifiers are correct.

But on occasions it can go wrong and classifications have been manipulated. If drug scandals are the bane of Olympic sport, classification controversies have marred Paralympic sport.

Athletes have been known to try to exacerbate their impairment to fall into a class where they have a greater chance of claiming a medal.

There are high-profile incidents of controversy, but in general the classification system works.

Watch the video at the top of the article to find out more