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Swimming with a disability, is a competitive, recreational and therapeutic activity. In competition, competitors normally race with swimmers of various disabilities but are awarded, on a points system, linked to their own disability, time rating.
Popularity
Disability Swimming is a Paralympic Sport that is an extremely popular activity amongst disabled people.
Location
Most swimming clubs in the United Kingdom include disability swimming amongst their swimming disciplines.
Age
Swimming is a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities.
Ability
There are various ways for Paralympic swimmers to start their race,depending on their disability: in the water, from a standing start, or a dive start sitting on the starting platform.
Description
Competitive swimmers are classified according to their functional ability to perform each stroke. Classifications S1-S10 are for athletes with a physical disability (S1 being the most physically disabled athletes and S10 the least) and classifications S11-S13 refer to blind athletes (S11) and those with visual impairments (S12 & S13).
Swimmers compete against athletes in their own classification and the fastest eight from the heats progress to the finals.
Dedication
Blind swimmers wear blackened goggles while racing to ensure that competition is fair, and some use an assistant to help them as they approach the end of the pool, either to make a turn or for the finish of the race. This process is called ‘tapping’, and is performed by a ‘tapper’.
Amputies must wear no prosthetic limb while racing.
Potential
The ultimate goal as in most sports is to compete in the Paralympic’s, held every four years.
Closely
Related Activities
Swimming 592, Butterfly stroke 594, Breaststroke 593, Syncronised Swimming 596, Backstroke 719, Front Crawl 718, Freestyle 595.
Further
Reading
Blind swimmers and some with a visual impairment use an assistant to help them as they approach the end of the pool, either to make a turn or for the finish of the race. This process is called ‘tapping’, and is performed by a ‘tapper’.
Level of Demand
The table below shows the maximum levels of demand that this activity requires. NOTE: These are not entry levels or levels of requirement and has nothing to do with ability.
Energy |
Arms
|
Legs
|
Sight
|
Hearing
|
Speech |
Learning |
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