There are 22 different sports that run at the Paralympics and most of them follow the same rules as the Olympics. Two games however, are exclusive to the Paralympics: Boccia and Goalball. Malaysia is competing in eight sports with a total of 21 athletes at the Games.

We can't get into the intricacies of all the sports on offer so we're going to zoom in on the ones that matter to us right now as Malaysians watch the Paralympics. There's national pride and a prize money of RM1 million for the athlete who wins a gold medal, so there's a lot at stake here. Lesson one (and only)--here are the games we're going to play, and the classifications of each game for different athletes with different impairments.

Archery

One of the original Paralympic sports and one that has the most similarities to its able-bodied counterparts. Two kinds of bows are used in two different events: recurve open or compound open.

Classification:

1. W1 – Athletes have arm and leg impairments, and can use recurve or compound limited to 45-pound draw weights and without magnifying sights.
2. Open – Archers compete standing or in wheelchairs and position themselves at a 90-degree angle to the target and may use body support.

Malaysians Competing:

1. Yuhaizam Bin Yahaya

This will be the 45-year-old’s debut at the Paralympic Games. He was involved in a horrific helicopter crash in March 2004 that left him paralysed below the waist. He told the New Straits Times that he is aiming for a medal and understands it is a tall order given that he ranks below others who are competing as well.

2. Hasihin Bin Sanawi

He is the recipient of a Silver Medal in the individual recurve W1 category at London Paralympics 2012 and is on the right track for Malaysia’s first ever gold.

Athletics

The sport offers a range of events and is open to male and female athletes in all impairment groups. Broadly, the events can be classed into Track (T) events and Field (F) events. Each T and F event is followed by double digit numbers. The first number indicates the type and the second, the degree of impairment--the lower the number, the greater the impact. Track events cover all distances from 100m to marathon as well as high jump, long jump, and triple jump. Field events include discus, shot put, javelin, and club throw, which is unique to para-athletics. There is a totaly of 177 medal events in Athletics.

Classification:

1. T/F 11-13 – For athletes with a visual impairment and can compete with a guide.
2. T20 – For athletes with an intellectual impairment.
3. T30s – Athletes have a co-ordination impairment such as cerebral palsy.
4. T32-34 – Athletes compete in wheelchair racing.
5. F31-34 – Athletes compete in seated throws.
6. T/F 35-38 – Athletes compete standing.
7. T40-41 – Athletes have short stature.
8. T/F 42-44 – Athletes have an impairment in one or both legs, often requiring prosthetics.
9. T45-47 – Athletes have an impairment in one or both arms.
10. T51-54 – Athletes who compete in wheelchair racing due to a leg impairment or loss of muscle power in the legs.
11. F51-57 – Athletes who compete in seated throws who have a limb impairment, such as spinal cord injuries.

Malaysians Competing:

1. Abdul Latif Bin Romly

The spirited 19-year-old will be competing in the T20 long jump category and making his debut at the Rio Paralympics. He’s already won Gold at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha.

2. Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Mohamad Puzi

Nicknamed Mr. Dash, Puzi won the gold medal at the T36 100m event in Doha.

3. Muhammad Ziyad Bin Zolkefli

Ziyad competes in the T20 shot put events and has already represented Malaysia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, bringing home a bronze. He was recognised as the National Paralympian Sportsman of the Year a year later and his performance at the 2013 World Championships influenced Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to reward Paralympians with the same awards as Olympians for winning medals.

4. Siti Noor Iasah Binti Mohamad Ariffin

Noor Iasah is a bronze medal winner at the IPC Athletics World Championships, participating in the 400m T20. She has also won Gold at the ASEAN Para Games in 2015.

5. Mohamad Faizal Aideal Suhaimi

The 21-year-old will be competing in two events: the Athletics Men’s 100m in the T12 and T13 categories. He was a Gold medallist at the ASIAN Para Games 2014 in South Korea.

6. Nasharuddin Bin Mohammad

Nasharuddin scored the Gold at the 2016 IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships competing in the men’s 400m T20.

7. Siti Noor Radiah Ismail

In 2014, Siti Noor Radiah gave Malaysia the first Gold at the Incheon Asian Para Games. She will be competing in the Women’s Long Jump in the T20 category in Rio.

8. Krishna Kumar Hari Das

He scored a hat-trick of Golds at the 8^th ASEAN Para Games in Singapore competing in the 100m, 200m, and 400m T38 events. Here’s hoping he brings home more.

9. Amir Firdaus Jamaluddin

The Gold medal winner in Men’s Long Jump T38 at the 8^th ASEAN Para Games. We're looking forward to him replacting the feat.

Cycling

It covers both Road Cycling and Track Cycling. For Road Cycling, athletes compete on bicycles, tandems, handcycles, and tricycles. Tandems for athletes with visual impairments while handcycles are used by amputees and paraplegic athletes. There are five different sport classes. The lower numbers indicate more severe activity limitation. There are five sport classes for hand cycling, two for tricycle and five for bicycle, whilst the three sport classes for the tandem compete in one event.

Classification:

1. Tandem Class Blind – Athletes are blind or visually impaired cycle with a ‘pilot’ in the front seat. The pilot must meet strict criteria to join.
2. Cycling – Athletes have an impairment that prevents them from competing in able-bodied competitions but still compete with a ‘standard’ bicycle.
3. Handbike – Athletes have lower limb impairment with five classes, H1 to H5.
4. Tricycle – Athletes have an impairment that affects their balance.

Malaysians Competing:

1. Mohd Afiq Afify Rizan (Stoker) and Mohd Faizal Mohamed Noh (Pilot)

The 20-year-old Afiq will compete in the Cycling Track Men’s B 4000m Individual Pursuit and the Cycling Track Men’s B 1000m Time Trial.

2. Mohd Khairul Hazwan (Stoker) and Mohd Rauf Nur Misbah (Pilot)

23-year-old Khairul Hazwan will compete in the Men’s Road Race B and Road Time Trial B.

Powerlifting

The sport was originally known as Weightlifting but it has since been changed to Powerlifting. It has also expanded to not only include male lifters with spinal cord injury, but to athletes with physical impairments that effect their lower limbs or hips, or athletes with short stature. Female powerlifters made their debut in 2000. There are no classifications and all athletes compete in a bench press. There are 10 different categories based on body weight for male and female. A lift is complete once a competitor lowers the bar to the chest, holds it motionless on the chest and presses it upwards to arms’ length with locked elbows. An audible signal, "rack”, will be given once the bar can be placed back on the rack.

Malaysians Competing:

1. Mohd Shamil Saad

Mohd Shamil won the Silver medal at the 2016 IPC Powerlifting World Cup. He was also named the Paralympic Sportsman of the Year at the 2014 Pahang Sports Awards. He competes in the over 107kg category.

2. Jong Yee Khie

Jon lifted 212kg at the IPC Powerlifting World Cup to win a Bronze and is in Rio to compete in the below 97kg class.

Sailing

The sport is open to athletes with physical and visual impairment and classification is based on four factors: stability, hand function, mobility, or vision. Sailors are classified with a sport class from one to seven points, with seven indicating the least severe eligible impairment. The keelboats can be adapted according to the impairment. Athletes compete in three mix-gendered events.

Classification:

1. 2.4mR Single-Person Keelboat – Open to male and female with any eligible impairment.
2. SKUD 18 2-Person Keelboat – Crew is made up of at least one female sailor and one of these sailors has to be classified with two points or fewer.
3. Sonar 3-Person Keelboat – Consisting of any combination of male and female sailors. The total crew is allowed a maximum of 14 points with no advantages give to the crew with less than 14 points.

Malaysian Competing:

1. Al Mustakim Matrin

The 31-year-old Al Mustakim is competing in the 2.4mR Single-Person Keelboat event and has previously struck gold at the 2014 Asian Para Games held in Incheon, South Korea.

Swimming

The Paralympic pool measures the same as an Olympic pool and offers 152 medal events. Athletes compete in freestyle, breaststroke, medley, backstroke and butterfly in distances ranging from the 50m sprint to the endurance test of the 400m. Men’s and women’s team relays are also contested in 4x100m freestyle and medley, as well as the mixed 4x50m freestyle. No prosthetics are allowed in Swimming and is open to a diverse range of impairments. The classes in swimming consists of the prefix “S” or “SB” and a number, with “S” indicating freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events while “SB” indicates breaststroke.

Classification:

1. S1-10 – Physical impairment. Lower numbers indicate the greater impact on swimming performance.
2. S11-13 – Visual impairment. Lower numbers indicate greater loss of vision. Look out for swimmers in the S11 category, they must compete with blackened goggles. Swimmers have assistance from tappers who warn about an approaching wall and the need to turn to make certain of contact with the wall.
3. S14 – Intellectual impairment.

Malaysian Competing:

1. Jamery Siga

Jamaery will compete in the S5 50m and 100m freestyle and the S5 50m butterfly events. He represented Malaysia at the London 2012 games.

Table Tennis

Athletes from all physical impairment groups, aside from the visually impaired, are allowed to compete in standing or sitting classes. Intellectually impaired athletes can also compete. Men and women can compete in individual, doubles, or team events and matches consists of five sets of 11 points each, and are played with a best-of-five format. Classifications are numbered from one to 11 with the lower number indicating the more severe impairment.

Classification:

1. TT1-5 – Sitting players who compete in wheelchairs.
2. TT6-10 – Standing players.
3. TT11 – Standing players with an intellectual impairment.

Malaysian Competing:

1. Mohamad Azwar Bakar

This is Mohamad Azwar’s second Paralympics, having competed in the London 2012 games. He competes in the TT10 class.

Wheelchair Tennis

The most significant difference to Wheelchair Tennis is the two bounce rule: a player can allow the ball to bounce twice and must return it before the third bounce. The second bounce can be inside or outside the court boundaries. There are six medal events: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, quad singles, and quad doubles. Athletes must have permanent physical impairments to be eligible.

Classification:

1. Open – Athletes must have an impairment on two limbs.
2. Quad – Athletes must have impairments on three or more limbs, which is a mixed gender division.

Malaysian Competing:

1. Abu Samah Borhan

Abu Samah competes in the Open Men’s Singles and this is the Paralympic debut for the 31-year-old.