Para Nordic skiing classification is the classification system for Para Nordic skiing which includes the Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing events. The classifications for Para Nordic skiing mirrors the classifications for Para alpine skiing with some exceptions. A functional mobility and medical classification is in use, with skiers being divided into three groups: standing skiers, sit skiers and visually impaired skiers. International classification is governed by International Paralympic Committee, Nordic Skiing (IPC-NS). Other classification is handled by national bodies. Before the IPC-NS took over classification, a number of organizations handled classification based on the type of disability.
The first classification system for the sport was developed in Scandinavia and was a medical system for skiers with amputations. At the time, other types of disability were not eligible for classification. In developing a system for use at the first Winter Paralympics, organisers wanted to get away from a medical classification system and use a functional system, but they ended up with a system based on equipment utilised by the skier instead. As the 1970s progressed, equipment improvements made it possible for skiers with spinal cord injuries to participate and a classification system developed for these skiers. By the 1990s, there were over ten Nordic skiing classes and a percentage system was developed to allow skiers with different disabilities inside one of three groups to compete against each other. The skiers time at the end of the race would be multiplied against a percentage to determine a time that allowed for fair cross classification comparisons. While the actual percentages change from time to time, this system to calculate a winner is still in use. Despite repeated efforts to move to a true functional mobility based classification dating back to the 1970s, medical assessment still took place during the classification process in the 2010s.
There are different events and equipment for different Para Nordic skiing classes. For sit-skiers, they use sit-skis with two skis, unlike Para alpine skiing where sit skiers use one ski. Blind skiers use a guide, with the position of the guide relative to the skier depending on the class of the skier. In the United States, Para Nordic skiing has events for people with intellectual disability that are run through Special Olympics. The classification process for blind Para Nordic skiing is handled internationally by the International Blind Sports Association and is a medical assessment. While National Paralympic Committees can classify their skiers for national competitions, this classification is subject to change at international competitions. These classifications have been used at the Winter Paralympics. Intellectual disability skiers were allowed to compete in full medal events at the 1998 Winter Paralympics but were subsequently removed because of cheating problems at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Definition Para Nordic skiing has two events, the Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing. The classifications for Para Nordic skiing at the same as classifications for Para alpine skiing, with the exception of the classifications for those with visual impairments. Classifications are based on functional mobility. For amputees, this is based on their mobility with the use of an assistive device. Classification for competitors with cerebral palsy is difficult because the levels of spasticity can change as the race progresses. People with cerebral palsy in classifications from CP1 to CP8 are covered by skiing classifications. Skiers from CP5 to CP8 compete standing up with the use of equipment. Since 1995, the classes area LW2, LW3, LW4, LW5/7, LW6, LW8, and LW9. There are three sit-ski classifications: LW10, LW11 and LW12, with LW10 being divided into LW10 and LW10.5, and LW11 being divided into LW11 and LW11.5. The sport also has three classifications for skiers with visual impairments: NS1, NS2, and NS3, based solely on medical classification; the classes B1, B2, and B3, are no longer used as of 2024. Research done at the Central Institute on Employment Abilities of the Handicapped in Moscow has found differences in functional capabilities based on differences in visual acuity. This plays a significant role in skiing.
+ Standing classes for athletes with physical impairment Class Description Equipment LW2Impairment in one lower limb (through or above the knee)Two skis, two poles LW3Impairments in both lower limbs LW4Impairment in one lower limb (below the knee) LW5/7Impairments in both upper limbsTwo skis, no poles LW6Impairment in one upper limb (through or above the elbow)Two skis, one pole LW8Impairment in one upper limb (below the elbow) LW9Impairment in one upper limb and one lower limbTwo skis, equipment of choice + Sitting classes for athletes with physical impairment Class Description LW10Impairments in both lower limbs (no sitting balance), score from 0–2 on the functional trunk/hip test LW10.5Impairments in both lower limbs (no sitting balance), score from 3–6 on the functional trunk/hip test LW11Impairments in both lower limbs (fair sitting balance), score from 7–10 on the functional trunk/hip test LW11.5Impairments in both lower limbs (fair sitting balance), score of 11 on the functional trunk/hip test LW12Impairments in both lower limbs (good sitting balance), score of 12 on the functional trunk/hip test + Classes for athletes with vision impairment Class Description Equipment NS1Light perception without measurable visual acuity or no light perceptionGuide and blackout glasses required NS2Visual acuity from LogMAR 2.3 – 3.5Guide optional NS3Visual acuity from LogMAR 0.9 – 2.2 and/or binocular visual field of less than or equal to 60 degreesGuide optional
Governance Para Nordic skiing is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, Nordic Skiing. The United States Deaf Ski and Snowboard Association is in charge of deaf classification for competitors in the United States. In the United States, the sport is governed by Disabled Sports USA for skiers with functional mobility, and governed by the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) for skiers with vision impairment, while Special Olympics governs the sport and classification for people with intellectual disabilities. Disabled Sports USA developed its own classification system for sit skiing that is not used internationally. They use a three group classification system, with Group 1 skiers including T5 to T10 spinal cord injuries, Group 2 including all other skiers with disabilities below T10 and Group 3 including all spinal cord disabilities above T10.
In the sport's early history, the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD), founded in 1964, governed the sport. In 1980, there were two governing bodies handling classification, ISOD and the International Stoke Mandeville Games Committee (ISMGC), which later became the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), and still later the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF). ISMGC was in charge of classification for athletes with spinal cord related disabilities. In 1981, the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) was created, and took over governance for skiers with visual impairments. In 2003, ISMWSF merged with ISOD, and changed its name to the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) in 2004. While the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA) has an interest in the sport because it is open to people with cerebral palsy, it is not governed by them. In 1983, both the rules for this sport, and classification, was done by the CP-ISRA. By 1984, there were four organisations governing classification for the sport: ISOD, ISMGF, IBSA and CP-ISRA.
Eligibility Currently, people with physical disabilities and vision impairment are eligible for classification. In 1983, Cerebral Palsy-International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA) set the eligibility rules for classification for this sport for people with cerebral palsy. They defined cerebral palsy as a non-progressive brain legion that results in impairment. People with cerebral palsy or non-progressive brain damage were eligible for classification by them. The organisation also dealt with classification for people with similar impairments. For their classification system, people with spina bifida were not eligible unless they also had evidence of upper motor neuron dysfunction, caused by associated hydrocephalus. People with cerebral palsy and epilepsy were eligible provided the condition did not interfere with their ability to compete. People who had strokes were eligible for classification following medical clearance. Competitors with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and arthrogryposis were not eligible for classification by CP-ISRA, but were eligible for classification by International Sports Organisation for the Disabled for the Games of Les Autres.
History Classification for winter sport started out as a medical one before moving to a functional system. The earliest classification systems for the sport were developed in Scandinavia. The original classification system was for people with amputations, with classification based on the type of amputation as determined by a medical expert. Other classes of disability were not eligible to be classified and compete early in the sport's history.
Going into the first winter Paralympic Games, the 1976 Winter Paralympics, the organisers had a difference of opinion with Paralympic Games founder Ludwig Guttmann, because they wanted a functional classification, not medical classification system, from the onset. They largely succeeded, although the system that was developed in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, that ended up being used was based on equipment utilised by the skier instead of a true functional classification system. During the 1970s, equipment was first being developed for skiers with spinal injuries and a classification system had yet to become fully developed for the sport.
In 1983, classification for cerebral palsy competitors in this sport was done by the Cerebral Palsy-International Sports and Recreation Association. The classification used the classification system designed for track events. In 1983, there were five cerebral palsy classifications. During the 1980s, there were three sit-ski classes and seven other classes. During the 1980s, while not formally part of the Para skiing classification system, intellectual disability Nordic skiing classes did exist as part of the Special Olympics movement. The sport was one sports people with disabilities were more likely to play during the 1990s.
Prior to 1988, the classification assessment process generally involved a medical exam to determine the classification. The change in winter disability sport classification towards a more formal functional classification system happened more quickly as a result of changes being made in wheelchair basketball classification that started in 1983. Prior to the 1988 Games, sit skiing was not included on the Paralympic programme. Norway worked to change this by added sit skiing classifications to the World Championships in 1986.
Functional classification testing was developed in 1989 for Nordic sit skiing, with the same system still being used for the 1998 Winter Paralympics. The tests included hand, arm and shoulder coordination, a sitting balance in the sagittal plane test, a stability sagittal plane test, a sitting balance test in the frontal planes, and a functional sitting ability test of the frontal and sagittal planes with an examination of sideways displacement.