Classification of athletes with disorders of mental and physical development

Abstract

The article reveals the problematic issues of selecting athletes with mental and physical disabilities to participate in official all-Ukrainian and international Paralympic sports competitions. It has been established that the solution to this problem prompts the study of the peculiarities of the classification of athletes with mental and physical disabilities in order to allow them to compete. It has been proven that one of the best means of strengthening mental and physical health is physical education. For people with disabilities, this is an adaptive sport, which is aimed at the formation of athletic skills in people with mental disabilities and their achievement of high results in various types of sports. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the classification of athletes with mental and physical disabilities according to the existing international rules for specific types of sports. The minimum classification standard for admission to competitions in athletics, table tennis and swimming for athletes with mental and physical disabilities has been developed, intended for national application level during the all-Ukrainian qualifying and final competitions, All-Ukrainian Spartakiade among children with disabilities “Believe in yourself”, Ukrainian table tennis championships and cups in accordance with the Virtus guidelines. The minimum classification standard takes into account the specifics of the procedure of psychological classification of athletes with mental and physical disabilities which is carried out on the basis of current documents and Virtus recommendations. The minimum classification standard allows to algorithmize the classification procedure of athletes with mental and physical disabilities taking into account its crucial importance for determining the right to participate in competitions.