How Do Paraclimbing Categories Work?
Paraclimbing is a type of climbing sport designed for those with impairments. Although it has been recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), we have not seen it in the Paralympics yet because it is still relatively new.
There are around 20 Paraclimbing categories altogether.
The categories are split as followed (separated into male and female groups):
- B: Visually impaired/blind
- AU: Arm/forearm amputee
- AL: Leg amputee
- RP: Limited range, power, and stability
These are then split into 2 or 3 different sub-categories that are more specific to the severity of the condition, to ensure climbers can compete fairly.
B Paraclimbing Category (Visually Impaired/Blind)
There are three levels of severity for visual impairments, but even within the same sub-category, there can be a world of difference in how two people see and deal with their particular impairments.
Many factors can influence someone's vision, and the effects vary depending on the individual. Some athletes, for example, only have a central vision while others may see solely from their peripheries. Obviously, this impacts how such individuals move about and scale objects.
Here are the different sub-categories within B (Visually Impaired/Blind category):
- B1: Fully blind/light perception (all competitors in the B1 category must wear a blindfold to keep things as fair as possible).
- B2: If you have a visual acuity of 1/60 to 2/60 or less, AND/OR a visual field that is 5% or smaller.
- B3: A vision of 2/60 to 6/60 AND/OR a field of 5-20%.
The meaning of Visual Acuity and Visual Field.
Because of the disability of people within this category, every climber has a sight guide partner to ensure safety and communicate information about the route to them before they climb.
More About Sight Guiding
Most times, when you watch a visually impaired athlete climbing, that person will wear some type of headset and have a partner who is their 'sight guide.'
In competition, blind climbers are able to view their route for a little longer than other athletes.
First, they watch a video of somebody climbing the route on a screen in isolation; this allows their sight guide to take a look at the route, work out the beta, and then efficiently describe each section to their climber.
For climbers, the sight guide is essential as they have to articulate the direction, shape, size, distance and technique of next hold/move in a few seconds. If executed poorly, it can make climbers second-guess themselves or become exhausted quickly.
The relationship between blind climber and their sight guide is vital for being able to summit. The sight guide needs to understand how their athlete climbs, which often requires creating a set of keywords or another style of communication that works best for them both in order to communicate quickly and efficiently.
Secrets To Sight Guiding
A common way to help guide someone who is visually impaired is by using a clock analogy. Imagine your climber is surrounded by an enormous clock; numbers 12-3 would refer to the right arm, 3-6 would be the right leg, and so on.
For climbers who have a less severe visual impairment, having a guide point out climbing holds with a laser pointer is an option (although it's not allowed in competition).
AU Paraclimbing Category (Arm/Forearm Amputee)
There are only two sub-categories for upper-body amputees:
- AU1: Arm amputee
- AU2: Forearm Amputee
Since climbing is a workout for your entire body, it can be especially strenuous on your upper body. Therefore, AU athletes often develop their own unique methods of ascending a route that is much different from those used by able-bodied climbers.
Forearm amputees still have use of their elbows and some forearm, which enables them to grip and move around (with a lot of practice).
Many AU athletes (mainly forearm amputees) will use medical or climbing tape to wrap around their stump; this can help protect the skin and increase grip.
AL Paraclimbing Category Seating/Leg Amputee
The AL category also only has two sub-groups:
- AL1: Seating
- AL2: Leg amputee
Presently, athletes with and without prostheses compete in the same category; however, as the sport progresses, more categories may be added and these athletes might be placed into two different groups.
But currently, (this is what holds back this sport in general) is that there are not enough people to warrant such a separation.
RP Paraclimbing Category: Limited Range, Power, and Stability
The RP category is the most diverse and can include climbers with a range of disabilities. This includes people with cerebral palsy, limb deficiencies (partial or total loss of one or more limbs), muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, and any other physical impairment that limits their range, power, and stability.
- RP1: Hypertonia (Permanent spasticity), Impaired Muscle power (Spasticity or severe movement from 4 limbs), Ataxia (Very weak strength and/or severe control problem of upper or torso limbs)
- RP2: Impaired passive range of movement (Shoulder, between shoulder and elbow, torso), Hypertonia (Considerable increase of muscular tonus), Impaired Muscle power (Trouble of tonus on 2 to 4 limbs, Moderate to severe trouble of tonus in 2 lower limbs, Severe troubles of lower limbs creating walking difficulties), Athetosis ( Limited strength and/or moderate control problem of upper or torso limbs, Correct functional value and negligible control problem of upper or torso limbs).
- RP3: Impaired passive range of movement (Elbow, between elbow and wrist, wrist, waist, between waist and knee, between knee and ankle), Hypertonia (Moderate increase but easily noticeable)
I realize the above information is very confusing, so here is a more visual way to look at how athletes within the RP categories are separated:
The RP (limited range, power, and stability) category is the most diverse of paraclimbing. Since it's a newer sport, there aren't as many divisions for competitors yet. So anyone with conditions that would result in limited movement falls into this group.
Many of these conditions are neurological disabilities, such as MS, stroke survivors, and brain damage. You may also see a number of competitors who climb similarly to an AL/AU athlete due to a condition or accident that has affected the development or use of a limb, placing them in the RP category instead.
Since the RP category is quite complex, you will see a lot of different kinds of athletes competing in it.
Why Merging Can Happen With Paraclimbing Categories
Sport climbing is growing rapidly with the aid of the 2020 Olympics and it’s pulling paraclimbing up with it; but for now, we have a solution to ensure all categories that run have a higher number of competitors. This solution is merging.
If a category has no competitors, it will not run; however, if there are only a few competitors (not enough to make an official category) then this group gets merged into a more difficult category.
Consider this - if we let athletes with less severe impairments compete in an easier category, then all competitors can still improve their skills without feeling like the competition is unfair.
Here's an example to help illustrate this point:
"I compete against other climbers who are visually impaired in the B2 category. If there aren't enough competitors in my category and it's unable to run, I'll be merged with those in the B3 category (so long as they have enough competitors).
It would not be right to merge into B1 because the people in that category who worked hard to get where they are would then be at a disadvantage. Merging categories is meant so that I can still compete, but by being in a harder category, it puts me at a disadvantage instead of those who have been working their way up in that category."
Our goal is that, with the help of 2020 Olympics (and eventually the Paralympics), paraclimbing will increase in popularity and allow for a more specialized grouping of athletes.
While there has been progress in recent years, there is still a lack of agreement about what classes and rules should be used for disabled sports. Because no two disabilities are exactly the same, it's hard to create sports categories that please everyone involved.
Because of this, it's important to remember that para-sports may not always be perfectly fair; understand this before getting too invested in the competition side of things; Being differently abled does not mean that all para-athletes are the same.
Just like two able-bodied athletes might have different skill sets, para-athletes may have impairments that give them certain advantages and disadvantages.
The article How Do Paraclimbing Categories Work? is republished from RCL Blog
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