to wonder why asthma isn't on the list of disabilities for paralympic sports

[SilentAllTheseYears]

Just that really, my sister's son has severe asthma and does competitive swimming but is up against people without asthma but she says he can't get a disability classification because asthma isn't a disability.

Because with the right treatment the vast majority of asthmatics would be able to compete.

Asthma is for those with it severely a disability but for most it is generally controllable and doesn't impact their life to the extent of needing a Paralympic classification

Fair enough...what made me wonder was her saying that he never got good butterfly or front crawl results because his asthma made the breathing hard -presumably then it should be fine if his medicine works?

This link to the governing body seems to suggest that it's because people with asthma can and do compete in the regular events

And not every category of disability sports is a Paralympic sport (IIRC, there was no swimming (or reduced number of events) for those with Down's syndrome in 2012).

I see what you mean but if I had one leg and was lining up against someone with a manageable condition with an inhaler i'd be pretty cheesed off.

I'm disabled due to asthma, for me it's really severe.

Wizard presumably they wouldn't be in the same race? I see your point though, and I didn't know about Rebecca Adlington having asthma.

It's actually fairly common for swimmers to have asthma, something to do with spending lots of time in chlorinated swimming pools.

David Beckham is asthmatic, for example, so it would seem that for many people it isn't a barrier to competing in sports.

Asthma is actually more prevalent among elite athletes than the general population.

www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/381793/Laura-Trott-Asthma-made-me-a-winner

Sport is actually reccomended for most asthmatics.

My son has very severe asthma and tbh he can't even go swimming at the moment but even then I know he is an extreme case and in most cases it shouldn't hinder life if well controlled.

news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/treatment_room/newsid_2340000/2340911.stm

^^ 10 sportspeople with asthma - I am always amazed by the stamina sports like marathon running and football, because poor dd2 gets wheezy after about 10 minutes of playing hockey!

It is much to variable, both between different people and for the people themselves over time. I can't think of any conditions that are counted that aren't anatomical - you don't have categories for: crohns disease, kidney disease, arthritis etc.

Paula radcliffe has bad asthma.

Many swimmers suffer from some degree of asthma or have asthma-like symptoms. 19% of swimmers at the Beijing Olympics had asthma diagnoses, and they won 33% of medals. Lots of other conditions also cannot be classified as a disability, such as cystic fibrosis, autism, most learning difficulties, dyspraxia etc.

Not sure what level your nephew is swimming at, but if at competing at National competitions he will need to declare his asthma medication and dosage on an annual basis as some medications are prohibited.

Bradley wiggins has asthma

Novak djokovic has asthma

Thanks, it's really interesting reading your posts. Sorry about those of you with asthma and asthmatic children. My nephew swims at regional level at the moment.

If he gets to swimming at National level (Age Groups etc) then he'll need to fill out a declaration - link here for English swimmers.

I don't know about swimming, but I competed at regional level as a teen (south of England) in athletics with asthma, and had a regime if medication (day to day and emergency) which managed the condition to a point. I never did long distance, but on short and middle was ok 99% of the time.

It's a difficult one - at times I did feel disadvantaged, but with proper care would still beat out the competition. Gave up because social life took over!

Could your sister go to her GP, explain her son is a competitive swimmer and see what could be done? Years ago now but I remember I got new meds once I was training 4/5 times per week, to make sure I was supported as needed.

Gosh. I never knew about all these top athletes with asthma!

Thanks Buffy I'll tell her and suggest it - I don't know what meds he is on now.

Depends on the type of asthma. Sometimes I can walk for miles and swim, other days I can't walk across a room.

I'm have asthma and compete at a national level for my sport.

I don't like to sound harsh, but perhaps your nephew just isn't as talented as your sister would like him to be? If it were the asthma that was the issue then it would be an issue across the board. If it's butterfly and breaststroke that he doesn't do as well in, then they probably just aren't his strongest strokes. Even elite level swimmers have their preferred styles.

Asthma is classed as a disability, although only those with the most severe asthma would need to/be able to register as disabled for some it really is a debilitating illness