Oceania Paralympic Championships Fact Sheet
Swimming
Dates of Competition
Competition May 10 - 12, 2009. Morning sessions commence at 8am, afternoon session at 4pm.
Venue
The Swimming competition will be held at the Casuarina Swimming Pool, Angelo Street, Casuarina.
The venue is wheelchair accessible and provides accessible change rooms.
The open water swim 5km is contested at Lake Bennett, which is south of Darwin.
Pools around Darwin are available for training prior to the event.
Competition Program
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Day 1 - Sunday 10 May
|
|
Male/Female
|
Classes
|
Distance
|
Stroke
|
|
Female
|
S6 - S13
|
100
|
Backstroke
|
|
Male
|
S6 - S13
|
100
|
Backstroke
|
|
Female
|
S1 - S13
|
50
|
Backstroke
|
|
Male
|
S1 - S13
|
50
|
Backstroke
|
|
Female
|
S1 - S13
|
50
|
Butterfly
|
|
Male
|
S1 - S13
|
50
|
Butterfly
|
|
Female
|
S8 - S13
|
100
|
Butterfly
|
|
Male
|
S8 - S13
|
100
|
Butterfly
|
|
Day 2 - Monday 11 May
|
|
Male/Female
|
Classes
|
Distance
|
Stroke
|
|
Female
|
S1 - S5
|
200
|
Freestyle
|
|
Male
|
S1 - S5
|
200
|
Freestyle
|
|
Female
|
SM1 - SM4
|
150
|
IM
|
|
Male
|
SM1 - SM4
|
150
|
IM
|
|
Female
|
S1 - S13
|
50
|
Freestyle
|
|
Male
|
S1 - S13
|
50
|
Freestyle
|
|
Female
|
SM5 - SM13
|
200
|
IM
|
|
Male
|
SM5 - SM13
|
200
|
IM
|
|
Day 3 - Tuesday 12 May
|
|
Male/Female
|
Classes
|
Distance
|
Stroke
|
|
Female
|
S1 - S13
|
100
|
Freestyle
|
|
Male
|
S1 - S13
|
100
|
Freestyle
|
|
Female
|
SB1 - SB13
|
50
|
Breaststroke
|
|
Male
|
SB1 - SB13 |
50
|
Breaststroke |
|
Female
|
SB1 - SB13
|
100
|
Breaststroke |
|
Male
|
SB1 - SB13
|
100
|
Breaststroke |
|
Female
|
S6 - S13
|
400
|
Freestyle
|
|
Male
|
S6 - S13
|
400
|
Freestyle
|
Entry Standards
There are no entry standards (qualifying times) for the Swimming Competition
Classification
Only athletes that are eligible for classification according to IPC Swimming Rules and Regulations are eligible to contest for OPC medals (S1 - S13).
Only Internationally IPC classified athletes will be eligible for OPC medals, all other athletes and non-Paralympic classes will compete only for Arafura Games medals.
International classification will be conducted at the event for athletes with a physical impairment and who hold an IPC Swimming license.
Athletes with a physical impairment who do not hold an IPC Swimming licence and are without an Australian confirmed classification status will need to present for provisional classification.
Athletes with a vision impairment who do not have a minimum of National level Classification will be required to be in Darwin prior to Saturday 9 May.
Athletes with an intellectual disability or hearing impairment, competing for Arafura Games medals will need to provide proof of their classification at the Managers meeting prior to the event.
Athlete classification will be conducted on 8 and 9 May at the Casuarina Pool for physical impairments and on the 9 May at the Royal Darwin Hospital for vision impairments.
Athletes will be notified if they are required to attend classification and their appointment time following the closure of entries.
Entry to OPC events closes on April 10.
Online accreditation is a 2-step process and needs to be commenced immediately.
Please visit the Arafura Games website and click on the blue box reading 'start your accreditation here' to register.
Minimum age for Oceania Paralympic Championships
It is recommended that athletes are 15 years of age by 31 December 2009. Event organisers reserve the right to exercise some discretion relating to this requirement.
Competition Format
The competition will be conducted under IPC Swimming Rules and Regulations.
The Oceania Paralympic Championships will be conducted in a multi-disability format.
Progression through to finals and the awarding of medals is calculated against the percentage of the World Record for the individual athlete's classification. The percentage calculated is then ranked and athletes progress to finals or win medals accordingly.
Australian athletes
Australian athletes must hold a Swimming Australia SWD ID card to eligible to compete in OPC or Arafura Games events.
For further information on obtaining a Swimming Australia SWD ID card, please contact:
Michael Woods - Swimming Australia
michael.woods@swimming.org.au
Tel: (02) 6219-5619
Progression to Finals and Awarding of Medals
The fastest eight (8) athletes from the heats, according to their class, regardless of nation will progress to the finals.
In finals, all athletes with a disability will be eligible for Arafura Games medals.
OPC medals will be awarded to athletes from OPC member nations to a maximum of two (2) athletes per country per event.
Only athletes holding a current IPC License will be eligible to have their results considered for World and Regional rankings and records. For more information, International athletes should contact their National Paralympic Committee for further information. Australian athletes should contact the APC.
Arafura Games able-bodied events
Athletes with a disability may enter Arafura (able-bodied) events provided they enter the same OPC event if that event is on the OPC program (eg 100m freestyle Arafura and 100m freestyle OPC) and meet the minimum qualification criteria set by the event organisers. Qualification standards for Arafura Games events are available on the Arafura Games website.
Managers Meeting
A Team Managers Meeting will be held up prior to the start of competition. Details of the Managers Meeting will be advised by the Organising Committee following the closure of entries.
Accommodation
Arafura Games has a central accommodation booking service. Details are available on the Arafura Games website.
Transfers and transportation
Airport transfers and venue transportation are provided free of charge to all accredited athletes and officials and is fully accessible.
Cost
There is no entry fee for the Oceania Paralympic Championships. Athletes are responsible for travel to Darwin, meals, accommodation, visa costs and other incidentals.
Visa Information
Information on Visa requirements is available at the Arafura Games website. The organising committee are unable to provide official letters of invitation or assistance to athletes who do not hold a relevant visa.
Website
The Swimming section on the website will be updated regularly please continue to check this in the lead up to the Games.
For further information about the Oceania Paralympic Championships Swimming competition please contact:
Alison Campbell - Australian Paralympic Committee
Email: alison.campbell@paralympic.org.au
Tel: +61 7 3217 5571
IPC Records and Rankings points
