For many Para-athletes in Africa, obtaining proper classification has been a significant barrier to competing on the international stage. Addressing this issue head-on, Commonwealth Sport, in collaboration with the African Paralympic Committee (APC) recently held a National Classifier Training course in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This initiative aims to enhance the classification capacity for Para Athletics across the African continent, ensuring fair and accurate assessment for all athletes and fostering a more inclusive and competitive environment.

The training camp, which took place in early 2024, saw participation from a variety of aspiring classifiers. Representatives from all over Africa, including South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Uganda, Malawi, Cameroon, Zambia, Nigeria, and Mauritius attended the programme. The goal was to equip the individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to accurately and fairly classify athletes, ensuring that all competitors are placed in appropriate categories based on their impairments.

The lack of classifiers in Africa has been a major concern for various governing bodies, and Dr. Debbie Alexander decided to take action. Alexander, serving her second term on the International Paralympic Committee governing board, took on a role with the African Paralympic Committee and set out to get some nationally trained classifiers on the continent.

"I sent out letters through the APC asking who had classifiers and what level they were at," said Alexander. "If I got nine responses, it was a lot, as most did not have any. This means that athletes were just not getting developed and this was a major concern for me."

Alexander started with the most common sport across all African nations, Para-athletics,  and set out to form a core group to organize a national training course for all the nations. Alexander’s next port of call was the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), who also came on board and offered to support the programme in Stellenbosch. 

However, funding was still the biggest hurdle, and Commonwealth Sport stepped in to help. "I rang Ellen Barwise, Director of Development and CGA Relations at Commonwealth Sport, and we discussed what we wanted to achieve," explained Alexander. "Thankfully, they came through with the funding that got the programme off the ground."

As highlighted during the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games and through their GAPS programme, the need for increased classifier capacity in Africa has been evident. One of those invited into Alexander’s core group was Hilary Beeton, an international classifier from South Africa, who said if Alexander could organise the training programme, then she would run it along with another classifier, Louisa Kirsten.

Beeton emphasised the importance of this initiative. "The need to develop national classifiers across Africa for sports falling under the umbrella of the Paralympic family was identified as an important step in growing and developing para-sports and athletes in Africa,” said Beeton.

“Classification is a cornerstone of Para-sports, as the process determines who is eligible to compete in para-sport, in this instance para-athletics, and in what sport class the athlete would best compete for fair competition.”

The lack of trained classifiers in Africa has often posed a barrier to athletes' participation at international levels and Beeton elaborated on the specific challenges faced. “Every athlete competing internationally for the first time is seen by internationally certified World Para-athletics classifiers,” explained Beeton.

Classification is a cornerstone of Para-sports
Hilary Beeton

“This is a necessary process to ensure the same standard of athlete evaluation across all the participating countries around the world and to minimise the potential conflicts of interest if athletes were classified by their own national paralympic classifiers. 

“Because of the shortage of trained classifiers at the national level in many countries in Africa, athletes with physical impairment who appear to be performing really well at the national level get selected to compete internationally without ever having undergone the WPA-recognised classification. 

“A high percentage of athletes with physical impairment from Africa experience great distress when they present internationally for the first time and are told that they have been entered in the incorrect sport class.”

The Stellenbosch course included a series of intensive training sessions, combining theoretical knowledge with practical application. Participants were taught the intricacies of classification, including how to evaluate different types of impairments and the impact on athletic performance. The training also covered ethical considerations, ensuring classifiers understand the importance of fairness and accuracy in their assessments.

Beeton expressed optimism about the programme's impact: “Exposure to para-sport through the National Classifier Training Course has stimulated an excitement about working with athletes with impairments. It has given individuals who had previously been called upon to classify athletes nationally greater confidence through better knowledge of the classification rules and regulations, and more importantly an understanding of the conceptual basis of classification and how and where to find information. Also invaluable has been the networking between individuals from different countries and sharing of experiences, problems, successes, and achievements and generally offering support to each other. A broader vision of what can be achieved surely has to benefit the development of a sport!”

SASCOC’s high-performance coordinator, Kealeboga Modutwane, believes that the success of the Stellenbosch programme can be the start of significant changes on the continent. “Classification in the whole of Africa is a struggle,” explained Modutwane. “That is why the programme in Stellenbosch was such a great venture. 

“It will ensure that African athletes can get classified here, rather than going overseas. I believe that the impact will be massive. We will see more Para-athletes from Africa participating, which will hopefully mean more will qualify for the big games, like the Commonwealth Games and the Paralympics. More athletes taking part will hopefully result in more medals, and more medals mean more funding!”

This initiative is a testament to Commonwealth Sport and APC's commitment to fostering an inclusive sporting environment. By building local capacity, the hope is that more athletes from the African continent will have the opportunity to compete on equal footing with their international counterparts. The successful completion of the National Classifier Training course marks a promising step forward for Para-athletics in Africa. It underscores the importance of continued investment in training and development to overcome existing barriers and promote greater representation of African athletes on the global stage.