Paralympic Swimming Home
Since the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960, swimming has been one of the main sports of the Paralympic movement. Like the Olympic games, competitiors measure their skills in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and medley events. Swimming is open to both male and female competitiors who have a physical disability or an intellectual disability.
Athletes are classified based on their functional ability to perform each stroke. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) rules are followed with a few modifications, such as optimal platform or in-water starts for some races, and the use of assistants for swimmers who are blind or have a visual impairment.
About AIS Paralympic Swimming
The outstanding results of the Australian Paralympic Swim team at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games and recent World Championships have been widely acknowledged.
In order to build on these successes, the AIS and the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) launched the AIS Paralympic Swimming program (Camps-based) in 2002. The Residential program which commenced in 2009 has become a finishing school for some of the nation’s top Paralympic swimmers.
The AIS program incorporates disciplines such as strength and conditioning, sports medicine, physiotherapy, performance psychology and nutrition. Presented by specialists in their field, these components provide the very best care and development of swimmers.
