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Oscar Pistorius (saf)


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The amputated sprinter from South Africa is not allowed to participate at the Olympic Games in Bejing, due his leg prothesises give him a too huge advantage!!!

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Oscar Pistorius has already said that he will go to court (CAS) due this decision of the IAAF!

Edited by Citius Altius Fortius
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The creator of the things said that they give him an unfair advantage by needing less energy to cover the same distance.

I am all for the paralympic games, but the Olympics are about the best the human body can achieve in a set of arbitrary parameters. This is way I am against Equestrian in the games.

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Here's a full article about that story

Olympic ban for 'Blade Runner'

(Agencies)

Updated: 2008-01-15 08:58

PARIS - South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius has been told he cannot compete in the Beijing Olympics because the artificial legs he uses give him an unfair advantage.

South Africa's Oscar Pistorius competes in the men's 400m race during the Athletics IAAF Golden Gala in Rome's Olympic Stadium on July 13, 2007. [Agencies]

The decision to ban the 21-year-old sprinter from all competitions involving able-bodied athletes was announced by the sport's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) yesterday.

Pistorius, who as an 11-month-old baby, had both of his legs amputated below the knee because he was born without fibulas, runs on specially adapted carbon-fiber blades that have seen him win Paralympic titles and challenge the times set by top-level able-bodied athletes.

But a scientific investigation into his springy prosthetics carried out by the Institute of Biomechanics at Cologne University last November found that they gave him a clear competitive edge over such athletes.

The results of these tests were handed over to IAAF president Lamine Diack last week and he asked his executive council to make a ruling.

A statement from the IAAF said that the Cologne tests had involved comparing the running efforts of Pistorius against those of five able-bodied athletes who are capable of similar levels of performance at 400m.

"Pistorius was able to run with his prosthetic blades at the same speed as the able-bodied sprinters with about 25 percent less energy expenditure," the IAAF statement said.

"As soon as a given speed is reached, running with the prosthetics needs less additional energy than running with natural limbs.

"The IAAF Council has been able to review the full report and has decided that the prosthetic blades known as "cheetahs" should be considered as technical aids in clear contravention of IAAF Rule 144.2.

"As a result, Oscar Pistorius is not eligible to compete in competitions organized under IAAF Rules."

Pistorius, dubbed by the press as the "Blade Runner", has already taken part in major IAAF-sanctioned events such as last July's Golden League meeting in Rome, finishing second. Two days later he finished last in wet conditions in Sheffield, Britain, and was then disqualified for running out of his lane.

He has made it clear his dream was to compete at this summer's Beijing Olympics, possibly on the South African 4x400m relay team.

The South African denies he gains an unfair advantage over his rivals and he has already said that he will contest any ban imposed by the IAAF on his racing activities.

"I feel that it is my responsibility, on behalf of other disabled athletes, to stand firm," he said. "I will appeal [against] this decision at the highest levels, while also continuing with my quest to race in the Paralympic Games and hopefully the Olympic Games."

Pistorius' manager Peet van Zyl told reporters the athlete would appeal against the decision.

"We are obviously very disappointed with the IAAF decision and we need to talk with them and our legal advisors about how we progress, what we need to do to appeal in terms of the IAAF regulations," van Zyl said.

Pistorius won a gold and bronze at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.

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I'm sad that the IAAF has banned Oscar Pistorius from Olympic eligibility, but I'm not surprised.

Provided that he's clean and everything is on the up and up (in this day and age, you never know WHO's on the juice), Oscar should have been allowed to at least vie for a spot. His PB is 3 seconds slower than the top times, but there are able-bodied people who have PBs also 3 seconds slower than the top times, who ARE eligible for the Olympics. And his PB can improve between now and Beijing.

I think that the Paralympic Games should be more integrated with the Olympic Games. It shouldn't be that expensive to pool their resources together. It would provide a bigger platform for the world's best athletes who, even though they may have physical limitations, are just as athletic and driven as those who do not have physical limitations.

And for the talk about Paralympic sports being not as deep (in competitive terms) as their Olympic counterparts, then what do you make of the bulk of sports on the OLYMPIC program that are equally guilty of not having deep competition from all sides? Luge medals have been won by athletes from only SIX countries: the USA, Russia (including the USSR), Latvia, Italy, Austria, and Germany (including the East and West German teams). China pretty much OWNS table tennis. Rhythmic gymnastics: the province of Russia. I could go on and on. In a nutshell, the Paralympic circuit can be just as competitive as the Olympic circuit. There may be rivalries only known to Paralympians that would make your head spin. And I would rather watch one hour of athletes with physical limitations who compete for the sheer love of the game than 5,000 hours of overpaid and overrated athletes who have, from a physical standpoint, everything together.

And besides, there is no deliberate inferring of "paralysis" or "paraplegic" in the term Paralympics. It means "alongside the Olympics".

I also don't buy the fact that we're heading into a "bionic man" phase with Oscar Pistorius. It's not like he hacked off his legs like that transsexual on the Jerry Springer show did a few years back (don't ask). He had a birth defect which resulted in his legs being amputated. Many Paralympians underwent similar experiences in their youth. And need I remind you that a lot of Paralympic athletes started off able bodied, but lost their sight or appendages due to accidents, sometimes in the course of war. Should they not be allowed to push themselves to greatness? Should they not be allowed to hold their own with able-bodied athletes? No sensible-thinking person would contemplate amputation in order to gain an advantage. Besides, didn't the original Bionic Man become "bionic" as part of recovering from an accident?

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Why doesn't he compete in the Paralympics? What? He thinks that they're not good enough for him? But it is UNFAIR for the able-bodied athletes who have muscles and tendons and bones in that part of the body, that can ache, become painful, get cramps or whatever. He doesn't in that dept. So the IAAF ruling IS fair.

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  • 3 months later...

I completely disagree with this ruling, its bullsh!t Political correctness instead of common sense, his legs don't hurt when he runs, there is no flesh, bone and nerve to feel pain and to feel fatigue in the half the leg that is not there and the foot, this is an unfair advantage.

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OK, so you're saying that because he's crippled he's not a real athlete and that he should be kept to the Paralympic Games, which sadly noone follows?

Just watched Around the Horn on ESPN and the columnists said the same thing.

If the Olympic Games are to take seriously the mantra of fair and equal play, they should allow disabled athletes to take part if they meet qualifying standards. Pistorius isn't going to medal anyways, all the guy wanted was a shot, is that too much to ask? Apparently it is.

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