THIS weekend South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius will set his carbon-fibre prostheses into the starting blocks alongside able-bodied sprinters at the World Athletics Championships which begin on August 27th in Daegu, South Korea.
The 24-year-old Mr Pistorius holds the double-amputee world records for all the sprint distances (100, 200 and 400 metres) and has been competing against non-handicapped athletes in international races since 2008. Last month he ran the 400 metres in 45.07 seconds, quick enough to qualify for Daegu, as well as for the 2012 Olympics in London. …
… the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the sport’s governing body (in) March 2007 … intervened to prevent Mr Pistorius from racing against able-bodied athletes, introducing a rule banning devices incorporating springs. He appealed, submitting to tests comparing his gait and physiology to those of other athletes, to no avail; the IAAF upheld its decision. A year later, however, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a tribunal deal with all manner of sporting controversies, overturned the ban, rebuking the IAAF for its handling of the matter. …
Economist – Running foul?
I don’t know whether or not it’s unfair that Oscar Pistorius runs against (disadvantaged) able bodied competitors. But the precedent of letting him compete opens the door for even more mechanically enhanced athletes in future.
Thanks Casual Sharpie for the link.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 