Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

'Advantage' disqualifies amputee from Olympics

Governing body says his prosthetics are aids.

By Times Wires
Published January 15, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Video Oscar Pistorius in Roma Golden League [AP photo] South Africa's Oscar Pistorius cuts the finish line during the 400-meter during the Golden Gala athletics meeting in Rome in July. Pistorius, 21, was born without fibulas, and both of his legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old.

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius is used to confronting obstacles, and now the double amputee faces another one: a decision barring him from the Olympics.

Track and field's governing body ruled Monday that he is ineligible to compete this summer in Beijing - or in any other sanctioned able-bodied competitions - because his state-of-the-art carbon fiber prosthetics are "technical aids" that give him a clear advantage. It based the decision on an independent scientific study.

"An athlete using this prosthetic blade has a demonstrable mechanical advantage (more than 30 percent) when compared to someone not using the blade," the International Association of Athletics Federations said.

Pistorius, 21, was born without fibulas, and both of his legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. As a teenager, he competed in sports including rugby and wrestling. He took up running to recover from a rugby injury.

In the four years since he started competing, he has broken more than 20 Paralympic world records, and it was his dream to compete in the Olympic Games. He needed to shave 1.01 seconds from his best time of 46.56 seconds to meet the Olympic 400-meter qualifying standard.

His manager, Peet Van Zyl, called the ruling a "huge blow" and said he has not given up hope for Pistorius.

"He still wants to be an Olympian, but it's not looking like it'll be Beijing," he said. "We'll see if we can't get him in London in 2012. We're going to try and explore all possible avenues to get him competing in the Olympics."

Van Zyl spoke briefly with Pistorius, saying he "could hear from his voice that he is disappointed."

Tests showed an edge

The athletic association had originally cleared him to compete against able-bodied athletes in 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 that should be placed on technology.

In November, the association 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. He found several indicators that the Cheetah blades provided an unfair edge.

Brueggemann found that from a mechanical standpoint, the Cheetahs were more efficient than a human ankle and could return energy in maximum speed sprinting. He found that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able-bodied runners on about a quarter less energy.

In a telephone interview last week, however, Brueggemann noted that this did not necessarily translate to a general advantage. Still, it was enough for the athletic association to decide that the Cheetahs are in "clear contravention" of the rules.

The International Olympic Committee said it respects the athletic association's decision.

"This decision has nothing to do with Oscar Pistorius' athletic merits. What is important is to ensure fair competition," the IOC said in a statement.

More tests requested

Pistorius has been competing in South African able-bodied competition for the past three years, Van Zyl said, finishing second in the 400 meters at the South African national championships last year against able-bodied runners. "At this stage it looks like he is out of any able-bodied event."

Last week, the athletic association allowed Pistorius to circulate the findings from the Cologne tests to a number of other experts. Based on their opinions, Van Zyl believes that Pistorius still has a strong case.

No one directly questioned Brueggemann's findings, but the producer of Pistorius' Cheetahs and the International Paralympic Committee said more tests should be undertaken.

"Everyone that came back to us said that there were too many variables that weren't considered and that more testing should be done," he said. "They said a verdict can't be reached only on the information that was collected."

The statement from the athletic association only specified the Cheetahs, manufactured by the Icelandic company Ossur, as illegal technical aids. It remains unclear what the ruling will mean for other disabled athletes hoping to participate in able-bodied competition with different prosthetics.

Information from the New York Times and Associated Press was used in this report.

[Last modified January 14, 2008, 23:14:31]