Double Amputee Barred From Olympics, Prosthetics Give Him "Advantage"

[CatWoman]

Amputee Ineligible for Olympic Events




By JOSHUA ROBINSON
Published: January 14, 2008

LONDON — Track and field’s world governing body ruled on Monday that Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter from South Africa, is not be eligible to compete in Olympic qualifying events. The International Association of Athletics Federations explained in a statement that, after an independent scientific study, it deemed Pistorius’s state-of-the-art carbon fiber prosthetics “should be considered as technical aids which give him an advantage over other athletes not using them.”

Pistorius’s agent, Peet Van Zyl, said that he and Pistorius were seeking legal advice in order to prepare an appeal. “We need to speak with the I.A.A.F. first and see what approaches we can follow there,” Van Zyl said in a telephone interview from South Africa. “The last resort will probably be the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Pistorius, 21, was born without fibulas and had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. But in the four years since he started competing, he has set Paralympic world records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters and it was his dream to compete in the Olympic Games.

The I.A.A.F. had originally cleared him to compete against able-bodied athletes last June, pending further scientific examination of his j-shaped blades, known as Cheetahs. But in the meantime, Pistorius became the focus of an intense ethical debate over the limits which should be placed on technology. So last November, the I.A.A.F. arranged for Pistorius to travel to Cologne, Germany, where he was tested for two days under the supervision of Peter Brueggemann, a professor at the German Sport University.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/sports/othersports/14cnd-pistorius.html?ex=1357966800&en=e2dc351faa732c65&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

[Lint Head]

1. Sounds like bullshit to me.

:dem:

[Squatch]

2. Though I laud Pistorius for his athleticism, I'm going to have to agree

with this ruling.

[Buzz Clik]

5. Agreed.

The Olympics has a long-standing tradition of regulating the "equipment" that can be used in competition -- the composition of poles in the pole vault, weight of the shot or discus, the functionality of skates, the kind of fabric for swim suits, skis, etc.

If he were an archer, a marksman, or participant in a competition that did not rely on his legs per se, then I'd agree that the ruling is wrong. In this case, I agree with it.

[angrycarpenter]

6. exactly

If there were some shoes that gave a person the ability to run many times faster than you could with normal shoes they would not be allowed and everyone would agree with that ruling.

I am not making light of his accomplishments which are amazing.

[Squatch]

9. The rules have always been slow to keep up with incremental changes in tech

consider the full-length swimsuits worn by Phelps and company a while back. They were supposed to cut down on the drag, which many considered a technological boost that was disallowed by the sport. The fact remained, though, that Phelps still had to do the swimming and that no device was actually propelling him through the water.

That is not the case with these prosthetics. A lot of the energy that the runner gets is from the springing of the devices, which actually help to propel him forward. What if they allowed him to run with prosthetic devices and then tomorrow he shows up with ones that mechanically increase his speed? Will the other runners be afforded the same opportunity to affix mechanical springs to their shoes to propel them forward? When does the sport become more about the technology a runner wears than the actual physical abilities of the athlete?

I think drawing the line (at least in this case) at spring prosthetics is an appropriate one to draw.

[Kutjara]

3. Because God forbid the Olympics should be about human spirit...

...in the face of adversity. Doesn't this guy realize it's all about the benjamins? Whatever will Nike do if Pistorius wins? I mean, he can't even endorse their shoes! Where's the profit in that?

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

4. The fucker's missing two legs.

Surely we can cut him some slack? Or at least let him compete with different prosthetics?

[Buzz Clik]

8. There are international competitions for guys like him.

The Paralympic Games come to mind...

http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/index.html

[ManiacJoe]

13. Only if he was willing to accept that compromise.

[krispos42]

14. How do we figure out the specifics of an "acceptable" prosthetic?

That's a hell of a question to figure out. Almost arbitrary, really.

:shrug:

[ShaneGR]

7. To put it bluntly, his fake legs are more than just fake legs... he runs on two trampolines....

They are basically springs. They provide his speed energy for him. It's amazing that people can learn to "spring" like he does. The problem is that the technology actually makes it possible to run faster than possibly the fastest human being on the planet.

I'd be interested to see some recorded times on him, particularly in the 200 meters.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

10. I agree with this ruling

I know that Pistorius probably thinks the Olympics is discriminating against him but I'd like to see the current Olympic's fastest able-bodied runner compete against him in a two-man race.

I'm willing to bet that Pistorius would win due to his prosthetics. It may not seem fair but the IAAF is justified in its ruling.

Edited: to fix my appalling grammar skills... sorry.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

11. Looks like the photo is from this

YouTube video of the event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv46b0NULFs

Note that he is running against able-bodied people in this race.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. Hell, let him run

I'm in awe of the guy for what he's accomplished, but his Paralympic records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters wouldn't get him beyond Olympic qualifying heats.