THE IMPACT OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL 50-METER FREESTYLE SWIMMERS

Abstract

Introduction: In sports, classification systems have the main purpose of establishing a fair and equal starting point for competitors. However, the efficiency of the classification system adopted in swimming for athletes with visual impairments, has been questioned. Objective: To analyze the relationship between performance and classification in 50-meter freestyle swimmers with visual impairments of classes 11, 12 and 13. Material and Methods: This was a documentary study with data on the end time of the circuit, in seconds, and the classification of national and international athletes. Spearman’s correlation test was used to determine the strength of the relationship between the visual classification system and the end time of the circuit. The comparison of end times between classes was performed by analysis of variance (ANOVA one-way). Results: The visual classification system showed a strong negative correlation with the end time of the circuit only in the analysis of international athletes (n=24, ρ=-0.796, p=0.001), unlike national athletes (n=15, ρ=-0.260, p>0.05). There were significant differences between the classes of swimmers with visual impairment 11 and 12, and between 11 and 13, but only for the performance of international athletes (F=33.25, p=0.001). Conclusion: The visual classification system is strongly related to the end time of the circuit, confirming that differences in sight degrees were crucial to the performance of men in 50-m freestyle swimming, but only at the international level. DESCRIPTORS Blindness. Swimming Athletic Performance.