For para athletes aged 8 and over (and their families) in Australian athletics, 2026/27 season. Covers T and F classes, provisional, national and international classification, other impairment types and multi-class scoring.
Classification groups eligible athletes with similar impairments so that individuals of equivalent impairment types can compete together on an even playing field. It decides whether an athlete can compete and which sport class they compete in, based on the type of impairment, how much it affects athletic performance, and sport-specific activity limitations.
For a physical impairment there are three levels:
Vision, hearing, intellectual and transplant classification are run by other national bodies (see the question on who classifies each type).
A sport class is a T or an F followed by a number.
A class such as T/F11-13 means the same numbers apply on both the track and in the field.
The number shows the type of impairment and how it affects the body. On Athletics Australia's Paralympic pathway:
An athlete aged 8 or older with an eligible physical impairment can compete in school athletics carnivals and local athletics clubs with a classification. New athletes aged 8 or older, and athletes competing only at club and state championships, need only a provisional classification. It allows you to compete up to and including state level competition.
To get one, complete the provisional classification form with a medical professional and return it, with a completed medical diagnostics form, to the Australian Athletics Classification Team (classification@athletics.org.au). The steps are set out in the next questions.
Australian Athletics then issues the provisional classification. If you are unsure about a complicated case, the Para Athletics Coordinator can be reached at classification@athletics.org.au.
Athletics Australia's provisional classification fact sheet lists these eligible physical impairments, with examples:
There is an established minimal impairment criteria that a child must meet to be eligible. Classification assesses the impairment and how it affects running, throwing and jumping for athletics.
National classification allows you to compete up to and including national level competition. You need to attend a national classification if you want to compete at a National Championships, or if you hold a national classification with "Review" status. It applies to new athletes, provisional holders, and athletes with "Review" or "Review 2026" status.
Sessions are offered in each state and at the Australian National and All Schools Championships. Register through your state association, or at a session held alongside a National Championships. State associations take entries for all sessions except the Australian Athletics Championships classification, which Australian Athletics runs.
Remaining 2026 sessions listed by Australian Athletics:
International classification is required to represent Australia at international level, including the Paralympic Games and World Para Athletics Championships. World Para Athletics runs it, and Australian Athletics facilitates it when it is held in Australia, working with Paralympics Australia.
Australian Athletics is looking to host a classification event on Australia's East Coast in the first quarter of 2027, with no details confirmed yet.
For a Benchmark Event team (the Paralympic Games and World Para Athletics Championships), an athlete must meet the selection policy, hold an international classification with a review date after the event, and achieve at least two "AA B" standards within the qualifying window.
Physical impairment classification is run by Australian Athletics. The other impairment types go to other national bodies:
Questions can go to the Australian Athletics Classification Team on classification@athletics.org.au or 03 8646 4550.
Once an athlete receives a classification, they are added to the Australian Athletics Masterlist.
In Australia, athletes compete in multi-class events using a baseline scoring system. It gives a simplified way to compare performances across all athletes with an eligible classification. Baseline uses a base time, distance or height in each class for each contestable event, and measures the athlete's performance against it as a percentage to generate a percentage score.
Athletics Australia lists three non-Paralympic classes. Athletes in them can compete at school or regional competition, state championships, national championships and international competition.
The international competitions on this pathway are the Virtus Global Games, the World Deaf Championships, the Special Olympics World Games and the World Transplant Games.