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\u2018SPORT CLASSES\u2019 TO ENSURE FAIR COMPETITION FOR ALL<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The G4D Open at Woburn (15 – 17 May) will once again use \u2018Sport Classes\u2019 at the second edition of what for many is fast becoming a must-play championship. The inaugural event was a leader in the use of Sport Classes, which had been developed to move the game of golf closer to the requirements of the International Paralympic Committee.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n All of the 80 qualifying players (via the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability) have a designated Sport Class, and will not only compete in the overall championship but also in their respective classes. At the end of this Championship there will be nine individual, world-leading Sport Class champions alongside the overall leading male and female winners.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The G4D Open therefore ensures that every G4D (golf for the disabled) player can compete in their category for this major international title which will only grow in stature.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two of these champion golfers will be seated players (Sport Classes Sitting 1 and Sitting 2) who typically, but not always, use a powered chair such as a \u2018Paragolfer\u2019 to lift them up into the correct position to swing the club. Two of the winners will have intellectual impairments, such as autism for example (Intellectual 1 & Intellectual 2); a trio will be from three different \u2018Standing\u2019 classes, while classes Visual 1 and Visual 2 will be contested by golfers with a visual impairment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And because of the Sport Classes, they can justly say they are the best of the best, certainly for this week in golf.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n World Leading Research<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n EDGA, the acknowledged expert body in G4D, supports The G4D Open which is staged in partnership between The R&A and the DP World Tour. The Sport Classes were created by EDGA after research and collaboration with leading sport, medical and rehabilitation experts from around the world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eligibility and Training Lead for EDGA, Mark Smith said: \u201cIt comes down to fairness for players, which is essential in any successful sporting format. The nine classes were created to give all golfers with a disability the opportunity to play in events in which they can compete on a level playing field.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to ensure these players have regular access to all the benefits of true competition, something which many non-disabled players take for granted, and that their position in the \u2018competitive pathway\u2019 is protected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Since 2021, EDGA has consulted with Giles Long MBE, a Paralympian gold medalist and inventor of LEXI, to develop illustrative figure icons that can be used by tournament organisers and media to denote players\u2019 eligible impairments \u2018at-a-glance\u2019. These gender-neutral figures use traffic-light colours to represent areas where coordination, movement, or vision are impaired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Green indicates areas that have full function; yellow indicates minor loss of function; orange shows where function is moderately affected; red indicates those areas which have little or no function available for playing golf.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Spectators at events featuring the nine Sport Classes can also follow the field to learn more about each player: how a golfer with a visual impairment sets themselves to play for example, or how a golfer hits with one arm, or swings with an above-knee amputation, or plays from a powered chair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Read more:<\/p>\n