The classification rules of the International Federation for Sailing state that athletes with a physical impairment and athletes with a visual impairment are eligible to compete in the sport at the Paralympics.

Classification also groups athletes in classes, defined by the degree to which they are limited in their ability to perform activities within that sport.

The classification system for Sailing assigns a point score to each athlete based on the their ability to perform tasks specific to the sport.

Sailing has three categories of boat at the Paralympics; Three Person Keelboat, Two Person Keelboat and Single Person Keelboat. Each boat uses its own classification points system to make up a team.

Three-Person Keelboat: each athlete is assigned a point score between 1 and 7 based on the impact of the athlete's impairment to perform tasks on the boat. The lower the point score, the greater the impact of the athlete’s impairment on their ability to sail. The total classification points of all three sailors must not exceed a maximum of 14 points.

Two-Person Keelboat: athletes are assigned a class of TPA if they have an impairment with a greater impact on their ability to sail. TPB athletes have an impairment with a lesser impact on their ability to sail. One TPA athlete and one TPB athlete make up the team of a Two-Person Keelboat

Single-Person Keelboat: the athlete must meet the minimum eligibility requirement for the sport, the equivalent of a point 7 in the Three-Person Keelboat.

Read an overview of classification at the London 2012 Paralympic Games