Local athletes play key role in para-sport research

Thursday 29 December 2022

The world of para-sport is on course to make confident strides into a new technological age in 2023 – and three young islanders have played a significant role in preparing global associations for it.

Sofia Field, Grace Greenwood and Rachel Leck were among a group of 22 athletes from around the world who participated in a Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) research project which could change classification processes for disabled sportsmen, women and juniors.

Conducted by researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, in partnership with the CGF, the study investigated the validity of virtual classifications, using live streams and video recordings, as a way of removing participation barriers to international competition for remote and/or under-funded nations and athletes.

Currently, athletes competing in a range of international para-sports must be classified for competition through in-person gradings, which take place at the venue in the days prior to the event.

On occasions, individuals are placed into a category different to what they had expected, or not classified at all, leaving them either uncompetitive or unable to compete.

"It’s fair to say we have realised and provided sufficient evidence to show that yes, using remote processes we can screen athletes so they do not show up, having spent time and resources, at the Commonwealth Games and find out they’re ineligible for classification," Nancy Quinn, a post-doctoral research fellow at Western, explained.

The project is likely to have a far greater reach than just Commonwealth territories though. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) – the global governing body for para-sport classification – is also interested.

Ms Quinn added: "The first intent was to collaborate with international classifiers and determine whether or not it could be done. We have had conversations with [the IPC] and worked hard to assure them that it’s not about changing how an athlete is classified, it’s simply addressing alternative mediums to make it far more accessible and to drive participation.

"It’s no big surprise that access to in-person classification, which is the IPC standard, is very difficult if you live in a small island nation or come from a lower-resource country.

"The genesis for this project came as a sidebar to a project I was involved with looking at para-sport’s capacity in Commonwealth regions of the Americas and the Caribbean. The CGF has become very concerned that representation of para-sport athletes is very much restricted at their own Games to the wealthiest of countries, so they asked us to take a look at what’s going on in the Caribbean to see why we’re not seeing para-sport development in that region."

There are still roadblocks in need of removal before formal virtual classifications become a permanent reality, but Quinn is delighted with the early results.

"There are some athletes who really should appear in front of a classification panel, due to the complexity of their impairment or disability, but across the board our classifiers felt they could provide a confirmed classification to approximately 75-80% of para-sport athletes," she said.

"Hopefully as an extension of this project there will be a percentage of athletes who can actually receive confirmed classifications virtually, which will allow countries and Commonwealth Games associations to put resources behind getting those 20-25% of athletes who need in-person classifications in front of a panel.

"The athletes were highly enthusiastic and grateful to know where they fit in the sporting milieu of para-sport. They can participate but cannot compete if they do not have classification, so having an international classifier saying “We’re very confident that you are a T35, but we cannot confirm that classification”, then parents or coaches know what the competitive field looks like. You know times or distances if you’re an athlete or weight goals if you’re a para-lifter and you can establish a training regime to get to where they hope to go.

"We did a capacity assessment in the region in May 2020 and we received funding for the project in September 2020. The pilot programme is wrapped up now and we have sent the report to the CGF."

As project subjects, Field, who has achondroplasia, and Greenwood and Leck, who both have cerebral palsy, completed technical and medical assessments, aided by their coaches and Island physio Fiona Robertson.

Tests on muscle tone, balance and co-ordination were among those performed by the trio – alongside participants from Argentina, Australia, Canada and two Caribbean nations.

Their involvement stemmed from a meeting between Quinn and Greenwood’s father, Paul, after he and Grace were invited to attend a CGF-backed GAPS camp at the University of Birmingham this summer. GAPS is a programme focused on supporting the development of emerging para-athletes and coaches from the Commonwealth.

Paul Greenwood, who is also a performance coach, said: "The Commonwealth Games earlier this year was called a parallel success event, but the medals table always tends to be the same, with the major nations like Canada, England, Australia being at the top.

"Covid saw a switch to the virtual world and if we can get to the stage where an athlete can get a classification without the need for travel it should significantly increase participation from less well-funded nations.

"There is a significant cost to the athlete and the coach because you have to be there two or three days before and there have been instances where athletes don’t then get classified at all. Either that, or they are put into a different classification to what they’re classed as domestically, which in itself can be an issue, if they’ve been training with a particular focus. Grace is T35 and she’s competitive, but if we went to an international event and found out she’s being classed as T38, she’s immediately non-competitive."

He added: "Grace has been to a few classifications and I said to Nancy that we’d be in a good position to help with the athletes that we have in Jersey. Grace already has a classification and is an international athlete but Rachel and Sofia are at different stages of their careers.

"The girls’ medical classification for the project was done by Fiona at her clinic. She set up a live stream with Nancy and followed their instructions – taking measurements which looked at things like muscle tone.

"The technical classifications also happened in Jersey and involved us filming seven or eight shots of the athletes performing different movements. We sent those videos over and they add to the pool of data for the project.

"I think it worked well. Jersey is a small island so we have ticked a box for them."

There is an acceptance that the availability of high-grade technology in developing nations will continue to be an issue, but Quinn believes there is still enough weight behind her method and is now waiting on permission to extend the project, to encompass the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games.

"The Youth Commonwealth Games is being held in Trinidad and Tobago in August and a substantial amount of athletes in youth para-sports don’t have classifications," she said. "We have made a pitch to the CGF to fund it and we will screen every para-sport youth athlete who doesn’t have a confirmed classification. We are hoping they are going to say “let’s do this”.

"The real focus will be on developing regions like Africa, Oceania, the Caribbean, to see if it can grow through the Youth Commonwealth Games to the Commonwealth Games, and we need to get in front of the IPC soon to tell them the results of what we’ve done.

"We have seen trials done on WhatsApp, some on stable internet platforms and others with very dodgy internet, but if you go to the experts, the classifiers themselves – dodgy internet and handheld WhatsApp phones are less than ideal but they were still confident in the outcome and the classification for research processes. Though not ideal, that’s the real world.

"If we get the 'go ahead' to do the screening for the Youth Commonwealth Games not every situation is going to be ideal but at the helm we will have experts, which speaks volumes about the integrity of the process."

Pictured top: Sofia Field, Rachel Leck and Grace Greenwood all took part in a study that could lead to remote classification for para-sport athletes at major competitions (Jon Guegan).