Samuda calls for global funding push to strengthen Para-Sport classification

Christopher Samuda has called for a coordinated international funding effort to address one of the most persistent challenges confronting the Paralympic movement: ensuring that athletes can be fairly and accurately classified for competition.

Speaking at an International Classification Conference in Moscow, Russia, Samuda argued that the system cannot remain accessible only to countries with the financial resources to train classifiers and conduct athlete assessments.

With representatives from more than 50 countries and a wide range of stakeholder professionals attending the conference, the President of the Jamaica Paralympic Association said a sustainable solution will require investment at both the international and continental levels.

“Classification is a challenge for many countries and the perennial complaint is one of expense and accessibility,” Samuda said.

“If the matter is to be effectively resolved, funding has to be secured and committed to training and certification of classifiers and the classification of athletes and this perhaps can be done on a continental basis targeting countries with the greatest needs,” he added.

At the heart of Paralympic competition

Classification is fundamental to Paralympic sport because it determines an athlete’s eligibility to compete and establishes the sport class in which the athlete participates.

Yet the process remains a source of continuing debate.

Concerns surrounding the accessibility and cost of classification, as well as questions about the consistency and accuracy of assessments, have placed increasing pressure on sports organizations to strengthen the system without compromising its integrity.

Those issues are at the center of the Moscow conference, which is being held under the theme “Actual Issues in Classification in Para Sport.”

The discussions are examining the 2025 IPC Classification Code, scientific and practical elements of athlete assessment, the prevention of intentional misrepresentation and other policy matters affecting the classification process.

Cost cannot become a barrier

For Samuda, the problem extends beyond simply developing rules.

A classification system may be technically sound, he argues, but it cannot function effectively if countries lack the resources to implement it.

He therefore called for serious, sustained financial commitments to ensure that classification programs can be developed and maintained.

“If we are to implement a sustainable programme for classification, it requires serious funding,” Samuda said.

“It takes cash to care but you first have to create it and then, more importantly, you need to care the cash less the well runs dries.”

His argument is rooted in the broader financial pressures facing sport, including rising operating costs and inflation.

Without adequate investment, countries with limited resources could struggle to provide athletes with the classification services necessary to participate in international competition.

A continental approach

Samuda proposed that funding could be organized on a continental basis, with resources directed toward countries where the need is greatest.

Such an approach, he suggested, could help expand the pool of trained and certified classifiers while reducing the burden on individual national programs.

The objective would be to create a system that is both accessible and sustainable while protecting the credibility of Paralympic competition.

The Moscow conference, hosted by the Russian Paralympic Committee, has provided a platform for representatives from across the international para-sport community to examine these challenges collectively.

Seeking a resolution

The conference is expected to conclude with outcomes addressing classification policy and other critical concerns, including the financial challenges associated with establishing and maintaining effective programs.

For Samuda, however, the financial question is inseparable from the future integrity of classification itself.

A properly funded system can improve access, strengthen assessment procedures and help ensure that athletes compete on a fair and credible basis.

As discussions continued toward the conference's conclusion on September 4, Samuda summed up the challenge with a pointed observation:

“In a manner of speaking, money needs to be classified for classification,” he stated.

For a system that determines who can compete, how they compete and ultimately protects the integrity of Paralympic sport, Samuda's message was clear: classification cannot be treated as an afterthought. It must be properly resourced if the movement expects it to serve athletes fairly around the world.