Programme overview
Introduction:
Para sport development, covering classification, para athlete pathways and accessible venues, is a 1-week course for federation, ministry and club units that grow para sport from first sessions to Paralympic competition, ending with a Para Sport Development Plan for a case federation. Many organisations attract athletes with impairments but lack trained classifiers, para coaches, adaptive equipment and step-free venues, so athletes leave early or compete in the wrong sport class. Nominees already run sport programmes or competitions and learn by case study on classification files, venue audits and squad lists. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this para sport development course.
Course Objectives:
- Map an organisation's para sport offer by eligible impairment group and identify gaps in athletes, coaches, classifiers and venues
- Apply the IPC Athlete Classification Code and International Standards to eligibility, sport class allocation and sport class status decisions
- Design para athlete pathways that move athletes from first sessions through club and national squads to Paralympic competition
- Recruit, induct and develop para coaches, sighted guides and classifiers matched to the impairment groups the organisation serves
- Plan adaptive equipment, accessible venues and para competition hosting, including classification sessions, protests and appeals
- Produce a Para Sport Development Plan with funding sources and participation indicators for persons with disabilities
Target Audience:
- Federation para sport and development departments that manage para athlete registration, squads and classification entries
- Ministry and sport authority units that fund disability sport programmes and report participation of persons with disabilities
- Club and academy managers who open para sport sessions and organise coaches, guides and adaptive equipment
- Competition and venue operations managers who host para events and plan accessible facilities
- Paralympic committee and multi-sport body staff who coordinate member federations on classification and athlete pathways
Course Outline:
Day 1: Para Sport Landscape, Eligible Impairments and Provision Baseline
- Paralympic Movement Structure of Committees and Para Sport Federations
- Eligible Impairment Types Across Physical, Vision and Intellectual Groups
- Medical and Social Models of Disability in Sport Provision
- Para Sport Offer Mapping by Impairment Group and Locality
- Provision Baseline Audit of Para Athletes, Coaches and Venues
Day 2: Classification Frameworks, Sport Classes and Classifier Systems
- IPC Athlete Classification Code and International Standards Overview
- Minimum Impairment Criteria in Sport-Specific Eligibility Decisions
- Sport Class Allocation and Sport Class Status Categories
- Classification Panel Roles of Medical and Technical Classifiers
- Wheelchair Basketball Point Classes and Team Point Limits
Day 3: Para Athlete Pathways, Para Coaching and Adaptive Equipment
- Para Athlete Pathway Stages From First Session to Podium
- Para Athlete Recruitment Through Rehabilitation Centres and Special Schools
- Para Coach Induction and Impairment-Specific Coaching Module Design
- Sighted Guide, Pilot and Tapper Roles for Vision Impairment
- Adaptive Equipment Planning for Sport Wheelchairs, Prostheses and Handcycles
Day 4: Accessible Venues, Para Competition Hosting and Classification Risks
- Accessible Venue Audit of Entrances, Changing Rooms and Seating
- Para Competition Hosting Plan With Classification Session Scheduling
- Protest and Appeal Procedures for Disputed Sport Class Allocations
- Intentional Misrepresentation Risk Controls and Classification Sanction Procedures
- Para Sport Funding Mix of Grants, Sponsors and Equipment Loans
Day 5: Case Study: Para Sport Development Plan for a Case Federation
- Case Federation Provision Gap Analysis by Impairment Group
- Case Classification Capacity Plan With Classifier Training Targets
- Case Para Coach and Sighted Guide Workforce Schedule
- Case Participation Indicators for Persons With Disabilities
- Para Sport Development Plan Completion and Panel Review
Skills You Will Gain:
- Para Sport Provision Mapping
- Athlete Classification Administration
- Classifier Workforce Planning
- Para Athlete Pathway Design
- Para Coach and Guide Development
- Adaptive Equipment Planning
- Accessible Venue Auditing
- Para Competition Hosting
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Para Sport Development Plan for a case federation to the federation board, the para sport committee and funding partners
- Decide which impairment groups, para sports and venues receive coaches, classifiers and equipment first, using provision gap evidence
- Avoid athletes competing in the wrong sport class, upheld protests, inaccessible event venues and equipment bought without a pathway
- Brief club coaches, guides, venue teams and classification staff on pathway stages, class status rules and accessibility checks
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Para Sport Development Plan to the federation board, the para sport committee and funding partners. They use it to approve which para sports and impairment groups to prioritise, how many classifiers, para coaches and sighted guides to train and which venues to adapt before hosting competitions. After the first season under the plan, the organisation should review athlete registrations, classification outcomes, protests, venue audit results and participation of persons with disabilities against the baseline, then adjust funding and workforce targets.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a para sport development course?
Participants should already run sport programmes, squads, venues or competitions in a federation, ministry or club. No medical or classifier qualification is needed. Bringing a para athlete list, a venue plan or a classification entry file helps them apply the case study to their own organisation.
How does para sport development differ from a community sport participation or high-performance management course?
It concentrates on athletes with impairments: classification, para athlete pathways, para coaches and guides, adaptive equipment and accessible venues. Community participation courses address inactive populations in general, and high-performance courses address talent testing and sports science for elite squads.
Why does para sport development depend on athlete classification?
Classification groups athletes by how their impairment affects the sport, so results reflect skill rather than impairment. Without trained classifiers and clear sport class status records, athletes cannot enter sanctioned competitions and pathways stall before national or Paralympic level.
What do participants take back from the para sport development course?
Participants take back a Para Sport Development Plan with a provision gap analysis, a classification capacity plan, a para coach and sighted guide workforce schedule, an accessible venue checklist and participation indicators for persons with disabilities.