Para swimming awards Paralympic medals in events named after strokes such as freestyle and backstroke.
Para swimming is the Paralympic form of competitive swimming. Its programme includes freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley events, with distances ranging from short sprints to longer races depending on the event and classification.
Athletes are grouped into sport classes according to how their eligible impairment affects swimming. The classifications use S for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, SB for breaststroke, and SM for individual medley. The number identifies the class, with lower numbers generally representing greater activity limitation.
Some races include adaptations such as a tapper using a pole to signal the wall to a swimmer with a visual impairment. These adaptations do not change the identity of the sport, which is governed internationally by World Para Swimming.