Sailing was included as a demonstration sport in 1996 and became an integral part of the programme of the Paralympic Games in Sydney.
This sport is open to athletes with amputations, cerebral palsy, blindness or partial visual impairment, spinal injuries and others. The classification system is based on four factors: stability, motor function, mobility, and vision.
The athletes compete in three events: Single-Person and Three-Person Keelboats are open to most disability groups, while the Two-Person Keelboat is disputed by athletes with more serious disabilities. In this event, athletes are not divided by sex, and they follow a functional classification as in other Paralympic sports, receiving points for their functional ability.
