The KL1 Class is for

paracanoe Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation (IVF) ...

paddlers who have very limited or no trunk function and no leg function. A KL1 class paddler is able to apply force predominantly using the arms and/or shoulders. These athletes will likely also have poor sitting balance and typically need a seat with a high backrest. Eligible paddlers typically meet one of the following: * Impaired range of motion * Loss of muscle strength equivalent to spinal cord injury complete at T12 level.

Definition

This classification is for disability athletes. This classification is one of several classification for athletes with lower limb deficiencies, impaired muscle power and/or impaired passive range of motion. The Australian Paralympic Committee defines this classification for “limited or no trunk function and no leg function." In July 2016, the International Paralympic Committee defined this class as, "Athletes in this sports class have no or very limited trunk and no leg function."

Performance and technique

While paddling, KL 3 classified sportspeople predominantly use arms and shoulders to apply force.

History

The classification was created by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). In 2003, the IPC Athletics Classification Project developed an evidence-based classification system to assist with eligibility and sports class allocation. In April 2015, the

International Canoe Federation The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated ...

released a new classification system ahead of the

2016 Rio Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 Septe ...

. Changes were made to rename different classes of para-canoeing. Para-canoeing will be included for the first time at the Summer Paralympics in Rio 2016 as voted in by the IPC in 2010. For the

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fro ...

in Rio, the International Paralympic Committee had a zero classification at the Games policy. This policy was put into place in 2014, with the goal of avoiding last minute changes in classes that would negatively impact athlete training preparations. All competitors needed to be internationally classified with their classification status confirmed prior to the Games, with exceptions to this policy being dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Becoming classified

Becoming classified as a paddler involves the examination of the impairment, pre-competition assessment of sport specific skills and in competition review. Assessment of sport specific skills includes strength and functional movement training, ergometer testing and on-water testing. Paddlers are classified based on loss of muscle strength equivalent to a spinal cord injury complete at T12 level and impaired range of motion. Each paddler receives a status for classification and further allocated a review time.

Competitors

Medallists in the KL1 class at the

2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 41st edition of the World Championships, were held from 19–23 August 2015 in Milan, Italy. Explanation of events Canoe sprint competitions are broken up into Canadian canoe (C), an open canoe wi ...

included

Luis Cardoso da Silva Luis Carlos Cardoso da Silva (born 11 December 1984) is a Brazilian paracanoeist. He is a six-time world champion. Career Silva won his fifth world championship in 2017 in the men's VL1 event, surpassing Fernando Fernandes de Pádua for the mo ...

(Brazil),

Jakub Tokarz Jakub Tokarz (born 14 October 1981) is a Polish paracanoeist. He gold medalled at the 2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President M ...

(Poland),

Fernando Fernandes de Padua Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

(Brazil),

Jeanette Chippington Jeanette Clare Chippington, (née Esling; born 21 April 1970) is a British Paralympic swimmer and paracanoeist. Chippington has represented Great Britain at seven Paralympics, five in swimming Summer Paralympics, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, ...

(Great Britain),

Edina Müller Edina Müller (born 28 June 1983) is a German 2.5 point wheelchair basketball player and KL1 canoeist. She played for ASV Bonn in the German wheelchair basketball league, and for the national team. As part of the German women's national whee ...

(Germany) and Evitlana Kupriinova (Ukraine).

References

External links

International Canoe Federation - Classification Documents

Current Classified Athletes
{{Paracanoe classification Parasports classifications Paracanoe