Volume 2 Issue 4 | 2025 | View PDF
Paper Id:IJMSM-V2I4P123
doi: 10.71141/30485037/V2I4P123
Advancing Assessment Skills and Interventions for Para Athletes in Paraswimming and Other Sports: Integrating Technology and Novel Assistive Devices
Ge Han Moey, Rosdara Masayuni Bin Mohd Sani, Syahrul Ridhwan Morazuki, Ean Hin Ooi
Citation:
Ge Han Moey, Rosdara Masayuni Bin Mohd Sani, Syahrul Ridhwan Morazuki, Ean Hin Ooi, "Advancing Assessment Skills and Interventions for Para Athletes in Paraswimming and Other Sports: Integrating Technology and Novel Assistive Devices" International Journal of Multidisciplinary on Science and Management, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 215-225, 2025.
Abstract:
Para sports continue to evolve with increasing emphasis on evidence‑based methods for athlete assessment and classification. Traditional techniques such as manual strength testing and qualitative movement analysis often lack objectivity and reliability, particularly in technically complex sports such as paraswimming. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of emerging technologies, including underwater motion capture, action‑camera systems, instrumented strength and coordination tests, and inertial measurement units (IMUs) that offer enhanced accuracy, reproducibility, and sport‑specific insight. A synthesis of sixteen studies spanning paraswimming, wheelchair sports, and para‑football demonstrates clear improvement in measurement of impairment‑based activity limitations. Despite this progress, barriers regarding methodological standardisation, accessibility, and cost remain. The review identifies future priorities including harmonised protocols, technological integration pathways, and frameworks that ensure fairness and global equity in classification.
Keywords:
Assistive Devices, Biomechanics, Classification, IMUs, Parasports, Paraswimming, Technology Integration.
References:
1. International Paralympic Committee, “IPC Position Stand Background and Scientific Principles of Classification in Paralympic Sport,” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 49, no. 6, pp. 319–324, 2015.
2. Sean M. Tweedy, and Yves C. Vanlandewijck, “International Paralympic Committee Position Stand—Background and Scientific Principles of Classification in Paralympic Sport,” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 259–269, 2011.
3. Floortje Morriën, Matthew J. D. Taylor, and Florentina J. Hettinga, “Biomechanics in Paralympics: Implications for Performance,” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 578–589, 2017.
4. Luke Hogarth et al., “Classifying Motor Coordination Impairment in Para Swimmers With Brain Injury,” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 526–531, 2019.
5. Leandro Vieira et al., “Swimming Velocity Analysis Using Wearable Inertial Sensors and Speedometer: A Comparative Study,” Bioengineering, vol. 11, no. 8, p. 757, 2024.
6. Julien Pansiot, Benny Lo, and Guang-Zhong Yang, “Swimming Stroke Kinematic Analysis With Body-Worn Inertial Sensors,” IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 482–493, 2018.
7. Tanya Le Sage et al., “Development of a Real-Time System for Monitoring of Swimming Performance,” Procedia Engineering, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 2707–2712, 2010.
8. Santiago Veiga et al., “Kinematic Analysis of the Underwater Undulatory Swimming Cycle: A Systematic and Synthetic Review,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 19, p. 12196, 2022.
9. Franco Molteni et al., “Exoskeleton and End-Effector Robots for Upper and Lower Limb Rehabilitation: Narrative Review,” PM&R, vol. 12, no. 9, pp. 932–939, 2020.
10. Mike McNamee, Richard Parnell, and Yves Vanlandewijck, “Fairness, Technology and the Ethics of Paralympic Sport Classification,” European Journal of Sport Science, vol. 21, no. 11, pp. 1510–1517, 2021.
11. Sean M. Tweedy, Emma M. Beckman, and Mark J. Connick, “Paralympic Classification: Conceptual Basis, Current Methods, and Research Update,” PM&R, vol. 8, no. S8, pp. S11–S17, 2016.
12. Luke Hogarth et al., “A Battery of Strength Tests for Evidence-Based Classification in Para-Swimming,” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 51, no. 6, pp. 419–425, 2018.
13. Vaughan P. Nicholson et al., “Establishing the Reliability of a Novel Battery of Range of Motion Tests to Enable Evidence-Based Classification in Para Swimming,” Physical Therapy in Sport, vol. 32, pp. 34–41, 2018.
14. Ana Carolina Maia et al., “Improving the Objectivity of the Current World Para Swimming Motor Coordination Test Using Measures of Smoothness, Rhythm, and Accuracy,” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 54, no. 23, pp. 1380–1386, 2021.
15. Rachel Smith et al., “Establishing the Reliability of Instrumented Trunk Impairment Assessment Methods to Enable Evidence-Based Classification in Para Swimming,” Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 3, p. 642951, 2021.
16. Brendan Burkett et al., “Using Underwater 3D Kinematics to Improve the Paralympic Swimming Classification System,” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 575–583, 2022.
17. Gustavo Ramos Dalla et al., “Simultaneous In-Air and Underwater 3D Kinematic Analysis of Swimmers: Feasibility and Reliability of Action Sport Cameras,” Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 119, p. 110330, 2024.
18. Isobel Thompson et al., “Error Assessment of a Three-Dimensional Underwater Motion Capture Methodology,” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 37, no. 17, pp. 2003–2010, 2025.
19. Raphael Ouellet et al., “Validity and Reliability of Inertial Motion Unit-Based Performance Metrics During Wheelchair Racing Propulsion,” Sports Engineering, vol. 23, no. 1, p. 6, 2025.
20. Llona Alberca et al., “Temporal and Kinematic Parameters for Classification in Wheelchair Badminton,” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 39, no. 18, pp. 2081–2088, 2025.
21. Wiebe H. K. de Vries et al., “Real-Life Wheelchair Mobility Metrics From IMUs,” Sports Technology, vol. 12, no. 3–4, pp. 101–108, 2023.
22. Marc Klimstra et al., “A Simple and Valid Method to Calculate Wheelchair Frame Rotation Using One Wheel-Mounted IMU,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 1243–1250, 2023.
23. Karina Sá et al., “Evidence-Based Classification in Wheelchair Sports: A Systematic Review,” Sports Medicine, vol. 48, no. 8, pp. 1829–1854, 2023.
24. Lucas Felippe Daniel et al., “Validity and Reliability of a Test Battery to Assess Change of Directions With Ball Dribbling in Para-Footballers With Cerebral Palsy,” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 35, no. 23, pp. 2374–2381, 2021.
25. Taylor M Wileman et al., “Guiding Evidence-Based Classification in Para Sporting Populations: A Systematic Review of Impairment Measures and Activity Limitations,” Sports Medicine, vol. 47, no. 7, pp. 1337–1349, 2025.
26. David L Mann et al., “Classifying the Evidence for Evidence-Based Classification in Paralympic Sport,” Sports Medicine, vol. 44, no. 9, pp. 1229–1239, 2021.
27. David L Mann DL, and HJ C Ravensbergen, “IPC and IBSA Joint Position Stand on the Sport-Specific Classification of Athletes With Vision Impairment,” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 3–13, 2021.
28. Ezio Preatoni et al., “Movement Variability and Skills Monitoring in Sports,” Sports Biomechanics, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 69–92, 2012.
29. Valentina Camomilla et al., “Trends Supporting the In-Field Use of Wearable Inertial Sensors for Sport Performance Evaluation: A Systematic Review,” Sensors, vol. 18, no. 3, p. 873, 2018.
30. Justin J Kavanagh and Hylton B Menz, “Accelerometry: A Technique for Quantifying Movement Patterns During Walking,” Gait & Posture, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 1–15, 2008.
31. Pietro Picerno, “25 Years of Lower Limb Joint Kinematics Using Inertial and Magnetic Sensors: A Review,” Gait & Posture, vol. 51, pp. 239–246, 2017.
32. H. J. C. Ravensbergen, “Expert Consensus Statement to Guide the Evidence-Based Classification of Paralympic Athletes With Vision Impairment: A Delphi Study,” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 50, no. 7, pp. 386–391, 2016.
33. Akmer Mutlu, Sema Büğüşan, and Özgün K Kara, “Impairments, Activity Limitations, and Participation Restrictions in Ambulatory Cerebral Palsy: ICF Model Application,” Saudi Medical Journal, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 176–185, 2017.
34. Rajan Kumar V K et al., “The Value of Novel Technologies in Performance Measurement and Management: A Systematic Review,” Data and Information Management, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 100054, 2023.
35. Victoria L. Goosey-Tolfrey and Christof A. Leicht, “Field-Based Physiological Testing of Wheelchair Athletes,” Sports Medicine, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 77–91, 2013.
36. David P. Howe and Carwyn Jones, “Classification of Disabled Athletes: (Dis)Empowering the Paralympic Practice Community,” Sociology of Sport Journal, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 29–46, 2006.