Athletics at the Summer Paralympics
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Paralympics since the first games in 1960. Men and women from all disability groups compete in the sport.
Some athletes use wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs and compete in their respective sport independently and under their own power. Some athletes are visually impaired and require an aid that they are usually tethered too for assistance.
Visually impaired athletes participate in running events with the help of a sighted guide, to whom they may be attached by a tether. Sound-emitting devices or a sighted "caller" are used to indicate target areas for throwing events, take-off points for jumping events, and other important locations for visually impaired competitors.
There are several different classifications and groups in which athletes compete that are based on their disability. Each disability has a different classification which determines the class the athletes will compete in. Nearly every opportunity that is available to non-disabled athletes are available in the Paralympics.
In the first edition of the Summer Paralympic Games in 1960, Italy finished the sport in the first place of the medal table, between 1964 to 1996 there was a clear dominance of the United States, being broken for the first time only in 2000, when Australia dominated the sport at home and since 2004 this dominance has been chinese.
Classification
Athletes compete in various classes which group them according to their impairments and abilities.| Class | Criteria |
| T/F11 | From no light perception at all in either eye, up to and including the ability to perceive light; inability to recognize objects or contours in any direction and at any distance. |
| T/F12 | Ability to recognise objects up to a distance of 2 metres i.e. below 2/60 and/or visual field of less than five degrees |
| T/F13 | Can recognise contours between 2 and 6 metres away i.e. 2/60 O 6/60 and visual field of more than five degrees and less than twenty degrees. |
| T/F20 | Athletes who have a recognised intellectual impairment according to international standards as recognised by the World Health Organisation i.e. IQ testing of 75 and below. |
| T/F33 | Moderate quadriplegia. Fair functional strength and moderate problems in upper extremities and torso. Wheelchair for daily activities but may be ambulant with assistive devices. |
| T/F34 | Moderate to severe problems in lower limbs, good functional strength and minimal control problems in upper limbs and torso. Wheelchair for daily activities but may be ambulant with assistive devices |
| T/F35 | Good functional strength and minimal control problems in upper limbs. No wheelchair. May or may not use assistive devices. |
| T/F36 | Greater upper limb involvement, less coordination / balance problems when running or throwing. Ambulates without walking devices. |
| T/F37 | Moderate to minimal hemiplegia. Good functional ability in non affected side. Walks / runs without assistive devices, but with a limp. |
| T/F38 | Minimal hemiplegia. May have minimal coordination problems, good balance. Runs and jumps freely |
| T40 | Les Autres- French for "The Others"- disabilities that do not fall into any specific categories, for example Dwarfism. Height limit, Males 145 cm, Females 140 cm. |
| T42 | Single leg, above or through knee amputation. Combined lower plus upper limb amputations. Minimal disability. |
| T43 | Double leg, below knee amputation. Combined lower plus upper limb amputations. Normal function in throwing arm. |
| T44 | Single leg below knee amputation. Combined lower plus upper limb amputations. Ambulant with moderately reduced function in one or both lower limbs |
| T45 | Double arm above elbow. Double arm below elbow |
| T46 | Single arm, above elbow. Single arm, below elbow. Normal function in both lower limbs. Other impairments in trunk. Upper limb function in throwing. |
| T52 | Damage to spinal cord in the higher parts of the back. Substantially impaired or no trunk function; no leg function. Pushing power comes from elbow extensions. |
| T53 | Impaired trunk movements, some with no spinal control. Some interference in their ability to perform long and forceful strokes and the ability to rapidly grasp and release the pushing rim of the wheel. |
| T54 | Have normal or nearly normal upper limb function. May have no upper trunk movements and when pushing, the trunk is usually lying on the legs. Those with almost normal trunk function are able to perform long and forceful strokes. Double above the knee amputations. |
| F52 | Limited arm function. Difficulty gripping with non-throwing arm. Shot - Unable to form a fist and therefore do not usually have finger contact with the shot at the release point. Discus - Have difficulty placing fingers over the edge of the discus. Javelin - Usually grip the Javelin between the index and middle fingers, or between the middle and ring fingers. |
| F53 | Have nearly normal grip with non-throwing arm. Shot - Usually a good fist can be made. Can spread fingers apart and can 'grasp' the shot put when throwing. Discus - Have good finger function to hold the discus and may be able to impart spin on the discus. Are able to spread and close the fingers, but not with normal power. Javelin - Usually grip javelin between the thumb and the index finger. Have ability to hold javelin. |
| F54 | Normal arm function; no trunk or leg function. Shot, Discus and Javelin - Have no sitting balance and usually hold on to part of chair whilst throwing |
| F55 | Some trunk function; no leg function. Fair to good sitting balance. |
| F56 | Trunk function with some upper leg function. Good balance and movements backwards and forwards. |
| F57 | Usually one 'good' leg and one 'bad' leg. Good movements backwards and forwards, usually to one side. Can raise from a sitting to a standing position with assistance during the throw. |
| F58 | Seated. Better function than F57 athletes, but not enough to stand to throw. Usually similar impairment in both legs. |