Becoming A Disability Swimming Star
If you’ve got what it takes to win in the pool, then there is a whole team of people and supporters to help you along the way. Your journey to greatness starts here.
Inspired by Paralympians such as Sascha Kindred? Have a talent for swimming? Well, yours could be the next famous face of Paralympic swimming.
There are local swimming clubs that work in partnership with the ASA to provide assessment opportunities for swimmers with a disability. They are called Hub Clubs.
During the assessment session you'll be asked to complete basic swim skills and assessment tasks to determine your ability level.
- Track down your nearest Hub Club with our interactive map in the Disability Swimming section of the British Swimming zone here.
Disability Swimming Classifications
Classification is the grouping of athletes in swimming to ensure there is a fair playing field. Swimmers' are classed by labels S1-S15.
The full classifications are:
- S1-S10 Physical disability (eg cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, amputees).
- S11-S13 Visual impairment ranging from no light perception to visual impairment or visual acuity of less than 6/60.
- S14 Learning disability for swimmers with an IQ of 75 or less with significant limitations in adaptive behaviour.
- S15 Hearing impairment with an average loss of 55dB or greater in their better ear.
- Visit the British Swimming zone here for more detail.
- Check out our Guide to Paralympic Swimming for videos explaining Classifications.
Further information
We are always on the look out for talented swimmers. For more information on how you can get involved in competitive disability swimming:
- Contact your regional ASA office and ask them about disability swimming opportunities
- Visit the Talent section of the British Swimming zone
- If you are in Scotland or Wales visit the relevant websites
- Frequently asked questions about disability swimming
