Classification
Welcome to my attempt at explaining a very complicated topic. Please note that I am not an expert. I am explaining this topic as I understand it. If people are interested I can do a deeper dive into this topic, which would include info about how other sports classify their athletes, the history behind it, and why the processes and categories are so different throughout the different sports.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in!
Ok, so what actually is classification in the climbing world?
In short, classification is a process that para athletes go through in order to be able to compete in most sports. The point of it is to make sure that the competition in each category is fair (or as fair as possible). For example, if an athlete in the climbing world is missing an arm, and they were up against an athlete who has a neurological disability, the athlete missing an arm would almost be guaranteed a win. A neurologically impaird athlete would have a hard time doing the movements that require flexibility and strength. The athlete missing an arm, on the other hand, is likely to have an otherwise typically functioning body. Please note: that isn’t always the case.