Peru at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Disability classifications
Disability classifications
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Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five [disability categories](/wiki/Summer_Paralympic_Games%23Disability_categories "Summer Paralympic Games#Disability categories"); [amputation](/wiki/Amputation "Amputation"), the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; [cerebral palsy](/wiki/Cerebral_palsy "Cerebral palsy"); [wheelchair](/wiki/Wheelchair "Wheelchair") athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; [visual impairment](/wiki/Visual_impairment "Visual impairment"), including [blindness](/wiki/Blindness "Blindness"); [Les autres](/wiki/Les_Autres_sport_classification "Les Autres sport classification"), any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example [dwarfism](/wiki/Dwarfism "Dwarfism") or [multiple sclerosis](/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis "Multiple sclerosis"). Each [Paralympic sport](/wiki/Paralympic_Games%23Summer_sports "Paralympic Games#Summer sports") then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as [athletics](/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2016_Summer_Paralympics "Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics"), divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example [swimming](/wiki/Swimming_at_the_2016_Summer_Paralympics "Swimming at the 2016 Summer Paralympics"), group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability.


What is cerebral palsy as a disability category?