Classed Out: A Quest to Understand the IPC

Sep 5, 2012; London, United Kingdom; Ian Jaryd Silverman (USA) shows off his gold medal from the men's 400m freestyle - S10 during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Fielding-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Courtesy: Andrew Fielding-USA TODAY Sports

By Sarah Lloyd, Swimming World College Intern

Day in and day out, as thousands and thousands of swimmers churn out countless numbers of yards–a physical feat in itself–there are thousands more who complete the same task at physical disadvantages. These athletes compete with a range of disabilities–amputations, dwarfism, variations of paraplegia, blindness, etc., which vary in severity, and undoubtedly make swimming more difficult than it is for athletes without these physical conditions.

Classification to Compete

Unknown Australian swimmer starting dive at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games

Photo Courtesy: Norman Bailey/Australian Paralympic Committee

While para-athletes can compete against able-bodied athletes, 1960 saw the inception of the Paralympics: an iteration of the Olympic Games specifically for athletes with physical disabilities, which paved the way for a number of other para-sanctioned events so that these athletes could compete on an even playing field.

At the heart of para-athletics is the classification process, which is used to place athletes into “sport classes” based on an individual’s specific disability or impairment. According to the Paralympics Layman’s Guide to Paralympic Classification “[c]lassification determines who is eligible to compete in a Paralympic sport and it groups the eligible athletes into sport classes according to their activity limitation in a certain sport.”

The classification takes place in four parts: a review of the medical records of the athlete in question, benchmark testing that includes analytical measures of power, coordination, range of motion/limb deficiency, a water test including starts, turns, and all four strokes, and finally an observation of the first competition in the athletes’ new class.

This process is undertaken by a panel made of up of some the 30 International Classifiers who have all been certified by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) through a standardized course. All are either medically qualified or have expertise in the field through coaching or a professional qualification such as sports science.

According to Craig Spence, the Director of Media and Communications at the IPC, the classification process used today is a mid-1990s evolution of the system that was formulated in the 1960s and is “very transparent”. Each athlete’s classification records can be accessed by the athlete in question through a data base.

Can It Go Wrong?

On paper, the classification process looks clear cut, albeit a bit complicated to those who do not have experience in the Paralympics. There is a clearly laid out process for classification with specific outcomes for specific observations and testing results. The classifiers are trained by the IPC and their reports are available to the athletes.

But can it go wrong? Can it be so cut and dry that it could fail? 2012 Paralympic gold medalist in the Men’s S10 400 freestyle Ian Silverman thinks so.

Silverman, 19, was born with cerebral palsy, a neuromuscular disorder caused by a brain injury before birth. Cerebral palsy symptoms can range from completely debilitating (some individuals are unable to communicate or walk independently) to relatively minimal affects on muscle tone. Silverman says that he has “a constellation of mild symptoms” including the spastic lower extremities, the inability to stand flat-footed (thus, he stands and walks on his toes), limited flexibility in all limbs (he cannot bend over and touch past his knees), and poor fine motor skills, including hand tremors. He was introduced to swimming when he was a child as a form of physical therapy and quickly fell in love.

After countless hours of physical and occupational therapy, multiple surgeries on each leg to lengthen the muscles, serial castings with the intention of bringing his heels to the ground, and a surgical reconstruction of his left foot recently, Silverman could easily have said “I can’t do it” in regards to swimming, but he never did.

Training at NBAC, home of Michael Phelps, he became incredibly successful, despite physical limitations. Classified into S10 just four months before the London Games in 2012, Silverman burst onto the Paralympic scene and won gold at the games. Everything seemed perfect.

And then in March of 2015, Silverman was classed out. Suddenly, he was not disabled enough to compete in the Paralympics. According to Spence, Silverman’s original classification, when he was just 16, came with a clause stating that he would need to be reevaluated after his 18th birthday.

He was reexamined by two independent classification boards, both of which saw the disabilities on land, but felt that they were not severe enough to have a significant impact in the water. But according to Silverman, it was not a blind reevaluation.

“After the first board classed me out, a second board was called in. They knew that the first group had classed me out.” While he acknowledges that reclassification happens in the Paralympics, he finds it hard to believe that they can consider him no longer disabled when it is a medical fact that cerebral palsy is not only incurable, but actually gets more severe as an individual ages. Silverman is, understandably, disappointed that he will no longer be able to represent his country in the way he best knows how.

i.silverman casting

Ian Silverman has his leg casted in an attempt to lengthen his muscles. Photo Courtesy: Ian Silverman

Not the Only One

In the past year, Silverman is not the only Paralympic athlete to have been classed up or out of the Paralympic Games completely, nor is he the only American. Notably, swimmers Victoria Arlen, Justin Zook, and Mallory Weggemann have been classed up just days before major competitions, effectively changing the way in which they approach their events. Being classed up or reclassified is not the same as aging up into a different age division for able-bodied swimmers. Being classed up or down completely changes the make-up of the field of competition. Athletes train to specifically compete in one division and a last minute change can be devastating.

Athletes are able to appeal the decisions, but only on the basis of a procedural error. In each of the Americans’ cases above, appeals were denied. According to Spence, there are no official records of how many athletes have been classed out of para-sports.

Coaches are also receiving heat for protesting the reclassification of athletes. Brian Loeffler, head coach of Loyola University, was recently fired from his position as head coach of Para Pan Ams and Para Can Ams with regards to a series of tweets he wrote in response to the reclassification of a number of swimmers, notably Australian phenom, 13-year-old Madison Elliot.

Loeffler currently coaches Jessica Long, Brad Snyder, Courtney Jordan, Alyssia Gilliamis, and McKenzie Cohen. All five of these swimmers compete at the Worlds and Loeffler was the coach responsible for all 11 golds for Team USA at Worlds.

Recently, there have also been reports of athletes working the classification system to their advantage: performing below their usual effort in an attempt to be classed down and thus, giving them an advantage over their competition. In any case, the classification process in its current iteration could to be in jeopardy.

What Can Change?

Sep 6, 2012; London, United Kingdom; Jessica Long (USA) collects her gold medal for the women's 100m freestyle S8 final during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Paul Cunningham-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Paul Cunningham-USA TODAY Sports

Like anything that succeeds, the Paralympic classification needs to evolve to the times. Spence explained that the IPC is planning an overhaul of the current classification system to be implemented in the next few years. For Silverman, whose career in para-swimming seems to have come to an abrupt end, the main concern is having classifiers who have a formal medical background.

“The only qualification you need to be a classifier is to take an online course through the IPC and pay a fee,” Silverman says. “You need no medical background. Even though there are classifiers that are very good at classifying athletes, it is a conflict of interest when you have parents and coaches classifying athletes.”

Silverman explains that one person raising his or her voice is good, but not enough.

“We need nations, not just people, to speak up when they see something that is not right. The IPC states that only a nation can protest an athlete and even if you have everyone saying this athlete is classified wrong, you still need a national organization body and take action. They rarely do because they don’t want to put their own athletes at risk,” he says.

For now, Silverman is recovering from a recent foot reconstruction and looking forward to being back in the water when the cast comes off.

The Paralympics and the IPC are incredibly important organizations in the world of athletics, but it sits in a more difficult position than the IOC simply because of the classification process.

It is a daunting task to correctly classify athletes into respective classes and mistakes can happen. Maybe a mistake has occurred, but maybe there hasn’t been an mistake made. Regardless, the IPC is dedicated to the integrity of the competition and to the athletes that, because of the organization, have an easier time doing things the hard way.

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Pathetic
Pathetic
8 years ago

Ian Silverman is not the first US Swimmer cheated by the classification system and he will not be the last. Until the US stands up for their athletes against a unprofessional, lack of credentials program, there will be many other swimmers cheated in having a real medical review of their disability.

Read what it takes to be a classifier. It is pathetic that there are not medical doctors (Orthos and Neurologists) who are classifying these kids. The IPC in their infinite wisdom does not read and or discounts medical reports from some of the Top Medical Centers in the United States. The US sits back and lets this happen. Every other country protests on behalf of their swimmers and support their athletes. Not the US, they do not want to “rock the boat”. Plus, the USOC does not care about The Paralympics. Nor does USA Swimming. Every other country has a disabled swim program. What has USA Swimming done for Disability swimming?

As far as I am concerned the IPC is run like FINA and the US is afraid to speak up. The best thing is to go after the Sponsors and suggest that they take their sponsorship money away due to the “Cheating” that goes on in IPC Swimming.

First Fina, Next the IPC…

Fact Checking
Fact Checking
8 years ago
Reply to  Pathetic

While this article raises some relevant facts and issues with the classification system, it also needs to be fact checked – it wholly misrepresents the situation with Coach Loeffler, his tweets, and his claim to the medal count.

Really
Really
8 years ago

Craig Spence needs to give out his Kool Aid so the rest of us can try to understand how he says the classification system is transparent. Really? No medical doctors from any countries are classifiers. You can pay $50.0 to be come a classifier and not even have a college degree. Craig, explain to a Mass General Doctor, how your “Classifiers’ are more transparent than a doctor who has 8 to 10 years of schooling.

The way the classification is done is political, not medically sound and puts the whole paralympic program worldwide into a questionable program.

Before Rio, to see how transparent this program is, they should have every athlete who is physically disabled reviewed by a medical doctor whose speciality is Orthopedics or Neurology. Let’s see how transparent the system is!

Beyond rustrated
Beyond rustrated
8 years ago

While those big names have certainly have their fair share of difficulties, let’s not forget the fact that McKenzie Coan (a member of loeffler’s group) had to fight for nearly 6 years to finally be classed where she was supposed to be. Being that she is now over the age of 18 and still progressive it still does not seem that she has been classed correctly. Ask a panel of people and witness more people with Osteogenesis Impercecta and you can see that that she is not supposed to be an 8. HOW CAN YOU EXPECT HER TO COMPETE WITH MADDISSON ELLIOT. That’s just wrong. Maddisson Elliot should be ashamed of herself and of her country.

#FREECRAZYLEGS
#FREECRAZYLEGS
8 years ago

Ian Silverman has 3 classifications and all 3 yielded different scores. All 3 classifications scored him eligible on the bench test, the test that measures strength, range of motion, spasticity with an examiner and Silverman on the table. He was classed out based on a water test, where the classifiers say his CP is cured. This just illistrates their true ignorance. Further, the power houses of his classification are all 10+ years his senior. They were never subject to the provision where you could be classed out based on the water assessment. Both Andre Brasil and Benoit Huot have better strokes, turns and starts than Silverman. How can one athlete be held to a different standard based on when he was classified. Brasil and Huot are disabled (both impacted in one calf/foot by polio and club foot, respectively); however, they are professional highly trained athletes and they have trained with the intention of maximizing their strengths and minimizing their deficits. That is what Bob Bowman, Erik Posegay and Dave Salo did for Silvermam. They put their professional reputation on the line in support of Silverman. He’s been in cast and braces since the age of 3. He’s comes from a family of medical professionals who sought out the best in the USA for him: Johns Hopkins, The Rubin Institute of International Limb Lengthening… the volunteer classifiers with NO medical of physical therapy babkground know better. IPC, your embarrassing yourself. They pretend like they are the Great Oz. You can have a rational conversation with then or present medical evidence. They have processes to cut you off way before then. They will continue to be that organization that people confuse with the Special Olympics. Actually, the Special Olympics is leaps and bounds ahead of the Paralympics. They have major corporate sponsors and this evening they had live coverage on U.S. Network primetime for the Special Olympics opening ceremonies. The Paralympics has NEVER achieved live coverage in the US.

FREECRAZYLEGS
FREECRAZYLEGS
8 years ago

Ian Silverman has medical evidence of disability since a very young age. Splash Magazine featured him when he was 10 years old because he was breaking records despite wearing braces day and night. The picture in Splash features him with toe to groin braces that he was required to wear every night. If Silverman were from Canada, Australia, Russia or Ukraine he would easily be a Paralympic swimmer, perhaps even an S9. These countries have swimmers who are clearly not in the right classification or not even disabled at all, but their organizing bodies are fierce, fight for their athletes and “train” volunteers to be classifiers. US Paralympics is the ugly step-child of the USOC. They tolerate them, throw them a few dollars, but do not advocate for the athletes or invest in them in any meaningful way. How is it that Jessica Long, the greatest female Paralympic athlete in history, yet she is unknown to most in the USA. In fact, she is unknown to most USA swimmers. USA Swimming needs to start supporting the Paralympic movement and the USOC need to get some true advocates working in Colorado Springs. Brian Loeffler and Dave Dennison were the only true swim coaches the US Paralympic swim team has ever had. Loeffler was fired for trying to draw attention to the issues of classification and Dennison quit his job as Colorado Springs resident coach after Silverman was classed out. An NCAA champ and, later, a disabled athlete himself, Dennison couldn’t take the USOC’s reluctance to support their athletes and the classifiers ability to destroy the lives of Paralympic athletes like Silverman with their ill-conceived efforts to do the work of professionals. Who cares, right? These are disabled athletes. They are luck to get any attention at all. Well, that is the message USA Swimming and the USOC is giving these athletes. It is a shame that the UK has Paralympic Day and the Brazilian Paralympic swimmers are national heroes. Who is the most advanced, evolved country in the world? If US Paralympics is any indicator, it is certainly not the grand old USA.

No fair way
No fair way
8 years ago
Reply to  FREECRAZYLEGS

At the end of the day, Ian as well as many other US Athletes have not been treated fairly. I have no idea what the US thinks they can do. However, the Paralympics is not a fair system. It is very sad state of affairs in the 21st century that Disabled Athletes are still treated so poorly. The mere fact that real doctors are not doing the classifications and ignoring some of the top medical institutions in the US tells you the ignorance of the Paralympics. Most countries use US Hospitals for the best care in the world. Yet, the IPC discounts the finest institutes in the world when they provide paper work and reports. Until real doctors are used as classifiers, it will be a political system…
My hope for Ian Silverman is that he enjoys his continue success as a Division Swimmer and focuses on getting a great education, enjoying college and leaving behind a system that “cheats” the US of potential medals and etc. Ian, you have so much more going for you than swimming in a system that is not accurate in their classifications and programs.

embarrassing spectacle
embarrassing spectacle
8 years ago

What does Australia hold over the IPC that one of their most senior classifiers and (Chief classifier for the 2015 IPC World Championships) Great Britains’ Craig Nicholson reclassed a 16 year old swimmer on the basis of one swim – and a very bad swim at that. The IPC would have been aware of Elliotts previous classification in Berlin as an S9 – also overturned.

There is no doubt Elliott was supported in her scam by her management. Whilst we witnessed a disgraceful spectacle of cheating at the The World Championships, something far worse unfolded. That an athlete can be so desperate to win that she feigns a disability. That Swimming Australia were so desperate for medals that they supported and most likely instructed her in her performance. That the IPC – an organising whose purpose is to provide sporting opportunities for athletes with impairments are choosing to hide their head in the sand. It was a sad week indeed – and not for ‘sport’ but for disability groups world wide advocating for a better future for people living with disabilities. Well done Maddi Elliott and Australia – I hope your medals were worth it!

For what it’s worth, in my opinion Silverman should be competing as an S9.

MapleLeaf
MapleLeaf
8 years ago

Australia is not alone when it comes to turning a blind eye to an athlete performing for the classifiers. God only knows what is wrong with a good number of Ukrainian athletes and even my own country, Canada, allowed an athlete to show up to his classification with a new and profound limp and forearm crutches. Said athlete was not born with a disability, but claims paralympic status after a sports injury. Further, this athlete has been ineligible then classed in and cannot get his classification confirmed. One week following his classification in March when he squeaked in, he showed up for a meet in the UK and he no longer needed those crutches and he walked normally. You only need to perform during your observation, a few days or week later you are free and clear to be yourself. Yes, the athletes in question are most often in contention for medals. Is that enough for Australia and Canada? Ethics, truth, integrity… must these principles take a back seat to the potential for medals? Or perhaps they rationalize and say to themselves, well what Ukraine is doing is so much worse.
As for Silverman, he had surgery this summer to reconstruct his left foot and lengthen his left calf. The classifiers didnt even recognize his two legs were different even though he can only walk on his toes on the left and his left foot has a deformity. He’s a victim of the IPC being afraid of a new name and the quintessential all-American taking over his category. Are Andre and Benoit going to swim into their mid-30’s? However this turns out, Silverman will be ok. He has what most in paralympics do not, the opportunity to get a world class education and swim for an top notch collegiate team.

trojans4crazylegs
trojans4crazylegs
8 years ago

The IPC lost their best and most effective ambassador for Paralympic swimming when they classed out Silverman. The IPC classed him out in the water, a standard every current record holder in S10 will not be held to because they are grandfathered in. Andre Brasil has Olympic trial cuts. Does his disability disappear in the water? The IPC sites their rules, but looks like fools when swim coaches turned classifiers try to tell the world’s leading experts in medicine and neuromuscular disease that they know better. The Special Olympics gets more TV coverage in the United States than the Paralympics. Good for the Special Olympics (and well deserved), but it just goes to show what an incredibly poor job the IPC and US Paralympics does in promoting their sport and athletes.

S10 CP v S10 fixed club foot
S10 CP v S10 fixed club foot
8 years ago

Now this makes me shake my head in disbelief! I just don’t get it and it makes me so angry to see our athletes let down.

Silverman (10) classed out in the water test with incurable cerebral palsy yet on the other side of the world Australian Harrison-Murray (S10) classed in with a club foot that was operated on as a baby!!!! In the same month no less!!

There is a difference between having a disability and just not being fast enough for able bodied comp

Just how exactly is that fair and transparent Craig Spence???

USA Coaches and staff – STAND UP FOR OUR ATHLETES!!

PLEASE!
PLEASE!
8 years ago

Silverman had his 5th surgery this summer to correct a foot deformity and lengthen his calf. Harrison-Murray, Huot, Brasil, Rodriguez, etc haven’t had a medical interventin in the last decade. US Paralympics will not defend their athletes. In fact, when Loeffler speaks about the issue of classifaction in defense of US athletes he get fired. Dennison quit because he knew it was that or be fired if he spoke out. Dennison, a disabled athlete himself moved on to able-bodied swimming after his frustration with the Paralympic movement. That is a huge loss and, frankly a sad and bleak prognostication on the future of the Paralympic movement. An by the way, FACT CHECK from above needs a fact check, because Loeffler coached every USA gold from Worlds except Meyers. He is not Meyers coach, but he introduced her to the movement. He won an award for his contribution to the US Paralympics and in return for his contribution he gets booted. US Paralympics can pretend they are ethical and sympathetic, but until they back up their heart felt opinions with a real life action it is all talk and worthless to the athletes.

No accountability
No accountability
8 years ago

An exercise in transparency, integrity and accountability for Craig Spence and Peter van de Vliet :-

Let’s get these two athletes together – Silverman and Harrison-Murray and reclassify them both together by the same classifiers. Compare their bench testing. Compare their water testing. Watch them compete in ‘first event’. What do you say? I for one would be interested to see the results.

I am sport but there is no way an ‘operated upon at birth or even in the early years’ club foot holds any one back in the Western World in any way – what’s the betting Harrison-Murray drives a stick shift! How does this even meet ‘minimal impairment’?

Funny that it’s an other Australian that’s ‘in’ and another American thats ‘out’.

Dyson
8 years ago

Depth classes represent the ministry at Quest that helps the church grow in its desire to learn, study, and deepen in faith and knowledge. Rather than simply telling people to believe blindly or journey through life without asking questions, Quest desires to challenge every person in the church to believe both faithfully and critically and to seek in order to grow in depth and understanding.

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