Athletes, support staff, and classifiers opinions on intentional misrepresentation in Para sport

The Paralympic Games have enjoyed a recent acceleration in profile, commercial value, and investment. Meanwhile, intentional misrepresentation (IM) – athletes’ attempting to game the classification process – has emerged as the greatest threat to the integrity of Para sport. Despite classification being essential to Para sport, the phenomenon of IM remains significantly underexplored. To deepen understanding of IM, 26 individuals familiar with the classification process from 11 Para sports were interviewed (nine in-person and 17 online). Six themes were identified: (1) the increasing professionalisation of athletes and support staff; (2) the role of classifier being voluntary; (3) the lack of training and development for classifiers; (4) athletes’ lack of understanding of procedures; (5) capacity to intentionally misrepresent dependant on inherent conditions; and (6) the low number of IM cases that have brought a sanction. The discussion explores how each theme aligns with the limited existing research into Para sport and examines similarities and differences with other sport integrity issues. This study provides a deeper understanding of IM, empowering the Paralympic Movement to address the threat the phenomenon poses to the integrity of Para sport.