Classification of Athletes
with Cognitive Disabilities
The classification system for athletes with cognitive
disabilities depends upon which organization is conducting the competition.
Athletes with cognitive disabilities who
participate in Paralympic competition must satisfy the
eligibility requirements established by the
International Federation of Sports for Persons with
Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID).
Essentially, they must have IQ scores of 70 points or less and
require special services for persons with cognitive disabilities
in school, work, or community settings. For further information,
read the "athlete registration" section of the INAS-FID web site
at http://www.inas-fid.org.
Athletes who compete in Special Olympics events must
have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation - a disability-specific
classification system. They are further classified on the basis of prior
performances - a performance-based system called divisioning.
Divisioning procedures are described on the SOI web site at
http://www.specialolympics.org.
Click on "games and competitions," then choose "general rules" from the
drop-down menu, then go to "Section V - Special Olympics Divisioning."
