2023-12-25 12:47:06
Christophe Carlier, playmaker for the French wheelchair basketball team, saw red last June. During the Dubai World Cup, the 36-year-old athlete saw the classification of his disability revised upwards, without his knowledge, by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).
Having become paraplegic following a motorcycle accident in 2002, the player who always played in category 3 saw his classification re-evaluated at 3.5 points, without any real explanation. A situation which may seem anecdotal to the uninitiated. Nine months before the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, it nevertheless shows the limits of the classification of disabilities, put in place by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Disabilities that evolve
In wheelchair basketball, as in other team sports such as wheelchair rugby, a certain number of points is allocated to each player according to his handicap, and a total number of points for the team must be respected. In Christophe Carlier’s discipline, the team must not exceed 14 points. ” My tripat 3.5 forced us to leave teammates on the bench, and the coach had to review his entire strategy,” deplores the latter.
Since then, Christophe Carlier has seen his situation improve, the international body having recognized its error, and is calmly approaching the next qualifying phases for the Paralympic Games. Nevertheless, his example speaks for itself: the nature of his disability did not classify him in the category of para-athletes whose status is regularly reviewed, unlike certain athletes whose pathology can be progressive.
“There may be what we call reviews for example in the case of neurological diseases (like athletes suffering from multiple sclerosis, or suffering from the consequences of a stroke, NLDR) »specifies Christophe Carayon, technical director of the French Handisport Federation (FFH).
“The athletes concerned will have to do a complete check-up to attest to the evolution or stagnation of their pathology. » The manager wants to be reassuring: “There is no doubt about the category for the vast majority of athletes. For others, there may be these reviews two to three times a year, to ensure the greatest fairness. »
Two components: a letter and a number
Established to define which athletes are eligible for competitions, the classification system is generally based on a common logic, with two components: a letter and a number. The letter refers to sport. Example : « S » pour swimming (” swimming “). The number is an indicator of the extent of the athlete’s handicap. The higher the number, the lighter the handicap. Thus, a swimmer suffering from a major handicap of the lower, upper limbs and trunk, whose start of the race is done lying down with the help of an assistant, will be classified « S1 ». There are also exceptions to this classification: goalball, parajudo and blind football are reserved for visually impaired athletes.
Christophe Carlier judges the classificationof the Paralympic movement “clear and rather fair”, even if it is far from perfect. “It’s always evolving. We feel that since 2012 in London, it has grown a lot,” believes the athlete. “There is a balance to be found between setting up too many categories, with the risk that there will no longer be competition in each of them, and establishing the most equitable program for the athletesadds Christophe Carayon. Today,this classification has the merit of existing, it can be improved, as are the rules of any sport in general. »
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