FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How can an athlete qualify for the 2012 London Paralympic Games?
The athlete must have an IPC Swimming license and compete at an IPC Swimming recognized 50m competition between 15 August 2010 - 05 August 2012. For licensing please contact your National Paralympic Committee (NPC). The list of recognized 50m competitions are listed under 'Calendar' on this website.
The athlete has to have an international classification by 06 August 2012. (R or C classification status). The classification status can be check in the on-line database under 'Classification' section of this website.
Athletes achieving the Minimum Qualification Standard (MQS) by competing in the outlined period and with a license do NOT get automatically to the 2012 London Paralympic Games. The NPC will decide which athletes are to compete at the Games based on the slots allocated to the NPC.
The Qualification Criteria document can be found at www.paralympic.org website, under 'Paralympic Games', 'London 2012' and then 'Qualification Guideline'.
2.Do the shoulders of a swimmer have to be horizontal in butterfly?
No. Rule 3.5.1. does not mention shoulders. The body must be kept on the breast and it is not permitted to roll onto the back at any time. If the body is past vertical towards the breast it is considered to be 'on the breast'.
3. If a backstroke swimmer with no arms is pulled up closer to the wall after the command “take your marks”, is the support staff giving momentum to the swimmer?
No. Momentum is the product of mass and velocity. In this case the swimmer is the mass. To give the swimmer velocity a force must be applied in the direction of the race. If this force is applied by the support staff it would be considered momentum and a violation of the rule.
4. How can an athlete achieve a result to be recognized by IPC Swimming?
Only athletes that are licensed within the given criteria and have R or C classification status can achieve results for IPC Swimming rankings and record lists.
The licensing criteria are published at http://www.ipc-swimming.org/news/2010_12_09_a.html
It is the responsibility of the National Paralympic Committee to license its athletes within the given timelines.
5. What medical document do I need to send if I have a new swimmer to be classified?
For new swimmers (swimmers with N classification status) the Medical Data Submission Form needs to be completed and submitted to IPC Swimming minimum 4 weeks before the competition start. The form is published on the IPC Swimming website at http://www.ipc-swimming.org/Classification/
If the athlete’s impairment type is not listed on the first page of this document, there is a need for a medical document from the athlete’s personal doctor outlining the diagnosis of the athletes, and when was he/she diagnosed. If the athlete had a surgery, the documents on these are also needed (when did it happen, what type of surgery). Further supportive documents as exrey can be presented at the time of classification.
