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Eligibility and Classification and Rules

Eligibility, Classification & Rules

Eligibility & Qualifying Events

Eligibility Requirements

  1. Have a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment that is classifiable under the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Classification System or meet the Move United 90 and 91 classification criteria. (https://www.paralympic.org/classification)
  2. Achieve required qualifying standards prior to the Nationals registration deadline
  3. Be nationally classified or request national classification at Nationals for archery, swimming, and track and field.

Qualifying Events

Athletes must achieve required qualifying standards in each event at least once during the designated qualification period of August 1, 2024 through the close of the 2025 The Hartford Nationals registration. Qualifying standards must have been met or surpassed at a Move United Sanctioned Competition, an NGB or High School Athletic Association sanctioned event, or other event as approved by Move United. View the 2025 Move United Sanctioned Competitions calendar and register to compete!  Sports specific qualifying information is below.

Qualifying Information and Sport Specifics

Archery

Move United Archery Rules: https://moveunitedsport.org/sport/archery

All athletes and coaches must be members of USA Archery. You can join at https://www.usarchery.org/memberships/become-a-member.

Age Divisions *Age determined by athlete’s age on 12/31/2025.

  • Yeoman (under 10)
  • Under 13
  • Under 15
  • Under 18
  • Under 21
  • Senior (any age)
  • Masters 50+
  • Masters 60+
  • Masters 70+

The Hartford Nationals competition distances:

Age GroupRecurveCompound/W1Barebow/BasicVisually Impaired
Yeomen (Under 10)15m15m15m10m
Under 13 (Bowman)30m30m30m20m
Under 15 (Cub)50m30m30m20m
Under 18 (Cadet)60m50m50m30m
Under 21 (Junior)70m50m50m30m
Senior (any age)70m50m50m30m
Masters 50+60m50m50m30m
Masters 60+60m50m50m30m
Masters 70+60m50m50m30m

Athletes must hit a qualifying score of 100 or greater to compete at the Move United Nationals. An athlete must qualify at the distance listed above for his/her age group and event.

During the qualification period, the athlete shall qualify to shoot by:

  • Participating in a Move United regional or national sanctioned archery shoot.
  • Participating in a USA Archery, National Field Archery Association, or Scholastic 3D paper target sanctioned shoot.
    • Complete a Proof of Performance form to be signed by a certified official.
    • Present an official signed score card showing a qualifying minimum score of at 100 points shot at the appropriate distance.

Para Powerlifting

Move United Para Powerlifting Rules: https://moveunitedsport.org/sport/powerlifting

Competitors become eligible to compete in powerlifting on the day of their 14th birthday unless competing at an international level.

Age Groups

  • Rookie: 14 to 17 years of age
  • Next Gen: 18 to 20 years of age
  • Elite: 21 years of age and older
  • Legend: minimum age of 45

Qualifying

Rookie and Next Gen athletes must at minimum lift a 20 KG bar. Elite and Legend athletes must at minimum lift 25 KG (20 KG bar plus two 2.5 KG collars). During the qualification period, the athlete may qualify by:

  • Participating in a Move United sanctioned powerlifting competition
  • Participating in a local competition not sanctioned by Move United and submitting video proof of a proper lift as well as a copy of the meet results signed by the head official.

Paratriathlon

The Paratriathlon competition will take place in open water. Tips for swimming in open water.

All athletes must be members of USA Triathlon. You can join at https://www.usatriathlon.org/membership.

In Paratriathlon, athletes will compete in a single race that combines three different events: swimming, biking, and running. Athletes can choose to compete as an individual or on a 2 or 3-person relay team. As an individual, athletes will compete on their own in all three stages. As a relay team, team members will divide up the three stages of the course with one team member competing in no more than two legs of the course, the swim, the bike or the run.

Awards will be broken down by the following categories:

  • Gender (Male/Female)
  • Age Groups (Youth [15 and younger], Junior [16 to 19], and Adult [20 and older])
  • Disability Group (Ambulatory, Wheelchair, Visual Impairment)

Distances:

  • Youth Distance – 100 yard swim, 3-4 mile bike, 0.5 mile run
  • Junior Distance – 200 yard swim, 5-6 mile bike, 1 mile run
  • Adult Distance – 500 yard swim, 6.2 mile bike, 1.6 mile run

 

How to Qualify:

Qualifying Standards — To be posted by May 1, 2025

  • Athletes may qualify at a community triathlon or may qualify by achieving the swim and run standards for their age group/classification.
  • Qualify using the swim and run standards for your age group
    • Youth athletes need to hit the national standards for the 100yd swim AND 800m run per their classification and age group.  Athletes must be able to complete a 100 yard swim, 2.5 mile bike, and 0.5 mile run in under 1 hour.
    • Junior athletes need to hit the national standards for the 200yd swim AND 1500m run per their classification and age group. Athletes must be able to complete a 200 yard swim, 5 mile bike, and 1 mile run in under 1 hour. 
    • Adult athletes need to hit the national standards for the 200yd swim AND 1500m run per their classification and age group. 

Athletes can submit their times from a Move United Sanctioned Competition or from a community paratriathlon race. All athletes that want to compete in paratriathlon must have qualified since August 1, 2024.

Equipment Needed to Compete:

Move United will not provide bikes. All athletes must travel with the appropriate equipment.

  • Wheelchair – No equipment for swimming (straps or wetsuit pants are acceptable in the water), handcycle for bike, racing wheelchair for the run portion
  • Ambulatory – No equipment for swimming, upright 2-wheel bicycle for the bike portion, ambulatory run but can use prosthetics or approved crutches.  *Recumbent foot-pedaled trikes are not allowed.
  • Visual Impairment – Can swim tethered with a guide, tandem upright 2-wheel bicycle for the bike portion with a sighted guide/pilot, ambulatory run using a tether with a sighted guide

Shooting

The competition will consist of a 10M air rifle match from the seated, prone position. Personal air rifles must comply with USA Shooting equipment standards. Athletes are encouraged to bring their own air rifles. Shooting tables and spring stands (SH2 only) will be available for athletes on a first come, first serve basis. Shooting jackets, gloves, slings and boots will NOT be provided. Each athlete will compete in a 60 shot qualifying round for their division, with the top shooters advancing to the final, elimination round.

In order to be eligible to register for shooting, an athlete must have previously competed in an approved 10 meter air rifle competition and must shoot a minimum score of 420 pts for a match consisting of 60 total shots for the Open – SH1 – SH2 Divisions and a minimum score of 400 pts for 60 total shots for the SH-VI Division.

Examples of approved matches include but are not limited to matches conducted through the NRA, CMP, USA Shooting, JROTC, American Legion, Orion League, Move United (sanctioned level 2 local, regional, national competitions), and high school leagues. If an athlete qualifies to compete at a non-Move United sanctioned event, please email a copy of the match result bulletins from your qualifying competition(s) to jcloy@moveunitedsport.org.

For rules on how to qualify at a virtual competition, click here.

Age Groups

  • Sub Junior (age 14 and younger): Competitors who will be under the age of 15 on December 31 of the year of the competition
  • Junior (age 15 – 17): Competitors who will be under the age of 18 and over the age of 14 on December 31 of the year of the competition
  • Intermediate (age 18 – 20): Competitors who will be under the age of 21 and over the age of 17 on December 31 of the year of the competition
  • Adult (age 21 and older): Competitors who will be over the age of 20 on December 31 of the year of the competition
  • Senior (age 65 and older): Competitors who will be over the age of 64 on December 31 of the year of the competition

 

Move United / USA Shooting / ISSF Regulations: https://moveunitedsport.org/sport/shooting

Swimming

Move United Swimming Rules

Nationals Qualifying Standards

Long Course – A Standards
An athlete MUST hit at minimum one (1) A standard to compete in long course.

  • 1 A standard time allows not more than 3 events in Long Course
  • 2 A standard times allow not more than 5 events in Long Course
  • 3 or more A standards may swim all in Long Course

Note to above standard: An athlete MUST have met at minimum a B standard in an event to swim that event either Long Course or Short Course.

Short Course – B Standards
B standards will be used for qualifying to swim short course.

Athletes that have previously gone through classification and will compete in the Move United classifications of MU90 and MU91, are referred to as S20/SB20/SM20 on the linked qualification standards.

Age Groups

  • U11 (under 11)
  • U14 (under 14)
  • U17 (under 17)
  • U20 (under 20)
  • Senior (age 20+)

During the qualification period, the athlete may meet standard(s) by:

  • Participating in a Move United sanctioned swim meet
  • Participating in a USA Swimming, YMCA, NCAA, and/or high school sanctioned swim meet and reporting official results via a proof of performance form.

Short Course and Long Course Events

  • Athletes may swim in up to 7 individual events across both long course and short course
  • Athletes may swim in up to 2 relays across both long course and short course
  • An athlete may compete in an event in both long course and short course (ie: 100 yd free and 100m free) as long as the athlete has qualified to compete in both courses.

Track and Field

Adaptive Track and Field USA Rulebook http://www.atfusa.org/RULES/RULES.htm

Nationals Track & Field Qualifying Standards

Age Groups

  • U11 (under 11)
  • U14 (under 14)
  • U17 (under 17)
  • U20 (under 20)
  • Open (14 and older)
  • Master (35 and older)

During the qualification period, the athlete may meet standard(s) by:

  • Participating in a Move United/ATFUSA sanctioned track and field meet
  • Participating in a USA Track and Field, NCAA, AAU, and/or high school sanctioned meet and reporting official results through a proof of performance form.

Wheelchair Tennis

In lieu of a wheelchair tennis tournament at the 2025 The Hartford Nationals, Move United is encouraging all wheelchair tennis players to compete in the Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championship hosted by Mary Free Bed Hospital. The Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championship will take place alongside The Hartford Nationals from July 10 – 13, 2025.

 

Refer to the Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championship event website for wheelchair tennis tournament details.

 

Tournament to be hosted at MVP Athletic Club – Crahen, 115 Crahen Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525.

Classification & Rules

Athletes must be nationally classified by sport according to their functional ability. National classification appointments at the 2024 THE HARTFORD Nationals are available for archery, para powerlifting, swimming, and track and field. Learn more here.

 

What is Classification?

Classification provides a structure for competition among athletes with impairments. Athletes competing in Move United sports all have been identified with one or more impairments that limit neuromuscular, motor, sensory and/or cognitive functioning. Because the nature of these impairments can vary significantly, a system is needed to allow for fair competition.

Information about classification for all sports on the Paralympic Games program can be found at https://www.paralympic.org/classification. You can also learn more about classification, eligible impairments, and how to become a classifier at the Team USA website. For an interactive guide to classification, visit https://lexi.global/sports.

 

Who Needs To Be Classified?

All new athletes to adaptive sports need to be nationally classified to compete in archery, swimming, and/or track and field events at Nationals. A limited number of classification appointments will be available at Nationals for athletes competing in those sports. For those competing in paratriathlon and/or shooting, there will not be formal classification required. Instead, event management will gather information from the registration form for competition placement.

 

Athletes with Physical Impairments

Athletes with a physical impairment should be classified in person at a Move United Sanctioned Competition, THE HARTFORD Nationals, or another event offering classification opportunities.

 

Athletes with Visual Impairments

Visually impaired athletes are eligible to compete in archery, paratriathlon, shooting, swimming, and track and field. Athletes with visual impairments may obtain a national classification at any time during the year and do not need to attend an event as part of the classification process. To obtain a National VI Classification, athletes must have the visual impairment medical diagnosis form completed by their ophthalmologist and return it to their NGB along with supporting documentation related to the diagnosed eye condition as outlined on the medical diagnosis form at least four weeks prior to a competition they intend to compete at.

Questions? Contact USOPC Classification Manager (NPCUSAclassification@usopc.org)

 

Athletes with Intellectual Impairments

Intellectually impaired athletes are eligible to compete in swimming, table tennis, and track and field. Athletes with intellectual impairments may obtain a national classification at any time during the year. Athletes must contact Athletes Without Limits to apply to obtain their national classification. Visit https://www.athleteswithoutlimits.org/eligibility for more information. There are three eligibility groups outlined by Athletes Without Limits. Intellectual Disability 1 (II1) is the original eligibility group for athletes with intellectual impairments and is offered at all Athletes Without Limits & Virtus competitions. It is also the eligibility criteria for Paralympic-style opportunities including Nationals.

MU 90/91

In place of a true “open” class, Move United has created the classifications of MU90 and MU91 to include those athletes who do not meet minimum impairment criteria (MIC) for Paralympic sports but who have a physical impairment that limits participation with community or school-based sports for those without physical impairments.

  • MU90 = open seated class
  • MU91 = open standing class

Athletes who do not meet the MIC for a specific sport will be allowed to compete in the MU90/91 classification if they meet one of the following criteria:

  1. If the athlete meets the MIC for one Paralympic sport but does not meet the MIC for another, they will be allowed to compete in MU90/91 for that sport.   For example, if an athlete meets the MIC for swimming but does not meet it for athletics or archery, they could compete in either of those sports in the MU90/91 class.
  2. If an athlete meets the MIC for a given sport and has a medical diagnosis, but the diagnosis is not a qualifying health condition, they will be placed in MU90/91.