Thursday, November 16th, 2023.- With the start of para table tennis on Thursday, the activities at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games began. 1,900 athletes from 33 delegations will participate in 18 disciplines, adapted and divided into classes or categories based on the degree of disability of the para athletes. But these variations, by no means, make them less appealing, so it's worth getting to know them.

Para Table Tennis

This sport involves athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities, participating in individual, team, and doubles events for both male and female. Athletes are divided into 11 classes based on varying degrees of disability: wheelchair (classes 1 to 5), standing (classes 6 to 10), and intellectual disability (class 11).

Within the wheelchair and standing classes, the lower the class number, the greater the impact of the disability on an athlete's competitive abilities.

The rules largely follow those of regular table tennis, with a few exceptions. For instance, in classes 1 to 5, serves must be directed towards the back of the table. The table dimensions remain the same as traditional ones, with a modification for wheelchair players: the table legs are fixed at least 40 centimeters inside the end line to prevent players from hitting against it when approaching.

Para Swimming

In Paralympic swimming, the styles are the same as in the Olympics: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, along with combined events and relays. All competitions take place in a 50-meter pool, and swimmers can start in three different positions: standing on the platform, seated, or from inside the water.

There are 14 sport classes, indicated with the letter S for freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly; with the letters SB for breaststroke, and SM for combined events.

Classes S1 to S10 include competitors with physical disabilities, S11 is for swimmers with nearly total visual impairment, S12 for those with less than five degrees of visual field radius, and S13 for those with less than 20 degrees of visual field radius.

Finally, sport class S14 is for athletes with intellectual disabilities, having difficulty recognizing patterns, sequencing, memory, or slower reaction times.

No prostheses or orthoses are allowed in any event. For visually impaired swimmers, class S11 athletes use dark goggles to equalize their condition, while for S12 and S13, their use is optional. To know when they are nearing the end of the pool, technical assistants touch them with a stick.

Depending on the sport class and styles, the events range from 50, 100, 150, 200 to 400 meters.

Boccia

This is one of the two Paralympic sports (the other being goalball) not contested in the Olympic Games. It's a mixed sport where male and female compete individually, in pairs, or in teams, grouped into different categories (BC1 to BC4) according to the level of disability affecting their sports performance.

It's a sport of precision and strategy. Two teams face off, each represented with a red or blue boccia ball. They aim to throw it toward the white target ball or jack and get it as close as possible to it.

The objective is to leave your own boccia ball closest to the target, earning a point. An additional point is earned for each extra boccia ball closer to the jack compared to the opponent's.

Matches consist of four quarters, and the duration is assigned according to the categories. It's played on a surface that can be synthetic or wooden, measuring 12.5 meters long by 6 meters wide.

Written by Alejandro Pérez; translated by Vicente Valdivia /Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Javier Salvo / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport