Para Swimming at Commonwealth Games 2026: Events, Classification System, History and Records

Para swimming is an adapted version of competitive swimming, governed by the International Paralympic Committee. It features freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and medley events.

Rules:

• Swimmers can start from the platform, sitting on the edge, or directly inside the water.
• Devices like prosthetics or watches are not allowed in the pool during races.
• Visually impaired competitors in specific classes use a “tapper” to signal when to turn or finish

Classifications:

Just like in Para Athletics, athletes are classified using a combination of prefix letters (indicating the stroke) and numbers (indicating the impairment type and severity).

Prefixes:

S: Freestyle, Backstroke, and Butterfly events.

SB: Breaststroke events.

SM: Individual Medley events (this class is calculated automatically using a formula based on the swimmer’s S and SB classes).

Breakdown of Numbers:

The numbers range from 1 to 14 (and occasionally to 15 in non-paralympic events for deaf athletes)

Physical Impairments (Classes 1-10):

• S1 / SB1 – S2 / SB1: Most severe physical impairments (e.g., severe quad-tetraplegia, severe coordination limitations across all four limbs).
• S3 / SB2 – S5 / SB4: Moderate-to-severe physical limitations, short stature, or loss of function in lower limbs/multiple limbs.
• S6 / SB5 – S8 / SB7: Moderate impairments, such as limb amputations on one side, single-limb impairments, or dwarfism.
• S9 / SB8 – S10 / SB9: Mildest physical impairments (e.g., single hand/foot amputation, minor joint restriction, or mild coordination issues).

Vision Impairments (classes 11-13):

• S11 / SB11: Very low visual acuity or no light perception. Athletes must wear blackened/opaque goggles to ensure a fair field and use a “tapper” (a person with a padded pole to signal the end of the lane).

• S12 / SB12: Moderate visual impairment (visual field of less than 5 degrees).

• S13 / SB13: Least severe visual impairment eligible for competition (visual field of less than 20 degrees).

Intellectual Impairments (Class 14):

• S14 / SB14 / SM14: Athletes with an intellectual impairment that impacts pattern recognition, stroke sequencing, pacing, or reaction time.

Para swimming first debuted in the Commonwealth Games during the 2002 Manchester Games.

The First Women to Win Medals in Para Swimming:

At the 2002 Manchester Games, the multi-disability Women’s EAD 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle events saw the very first Para Swimming medalists in Commonwealth Games history:

1. Gold (First Winner): Natalie du Toit (🇿🇦 South Africa) — Won gold, setting world record times in both the 50m and 100m EAD Freestyle events.
2. Silver: Stéphanie Dixon (🇨🇦 Canada)
3. Bronze: Kirby Cote (🇨🇦 Canada)

* South Africa’s Natalie du Toit made history at the 2002 Games by qualifying for the final of the able-bodied 800m freestyle, becoming the first disabled athlete in history to reach an able-bodied final at an international multi-sport event.

2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games Para Swimming activities:

Women’s Events (7 Medal Events)

• 50m Freestyle S13 (Visual Impairment)
• 100m Freestyle S9 (Physical Impairment)
• 100m Freestyle S13 (Visual Impairment)
• 200m Freestyle S14 (Intellectual Impairment)
• 100m Backstroke S9 (Physical Impairment)
• 100m Breaststroke SB8 (Physical Impairment)
• 200m Individual Medley SM10 (Physical Impairment)

Men’s Events (7 Medal Events)

• 50m Freestyle S7 (Physical Impairment)
• 50m Freestyle S13 (Visual Impairment)
• 100m Freestyle S13 (Visual Impairment)
• 200m Freestyle S14 (Intellectual Impairment)
• 100m Backstroke S9 (Physical Impairment)
• 100m Breaststroke SB9 (Physical Impairment)
• 100m Butterfly S10 (Physical Impairment)

Female Para Swimming Gold Medalists and Records:

* Natalie du Toit remains the most dominant para-swimmer in the history of the Games, winning 7 gold medals across three consecutive Games (2002-2010) while setting multiple world records.