Paratriathlon is a variant of the triathlon for athletes with a variety of physical disabilities. The sport is governed by the International Triathlon Union (ITU).[4]
The Paralympic event is a sprint race consisting of 750 m swimming, 20 km cycling and 5 km running stages.[5] Athletes of both sexes compete in six categories according to the nature of their physical impairments. Some classifications allow for helpers in transition, while others allow for sighted pilot-guides throughout the race. [6]
The Paratriathlon returned to the program at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. Classifications have been slightly amended in the interim, allowing for the introduction of a tandem-bike based triathlon for visually impaired athletes with guides.