Double Amputee, Oscar Pistorius, Allowed to Compete in Olympics!

In a previous post, I introduced you to a Bilateral Below Knee Amputee who is a very fast and talented Sprinter.  As you would expect, any running story is interesting to me and any amputee story is almost as hard to pass up, so stories about amputee runners simply must be showcased!!  Oscar Pistorius holds the 400 meter Paralympic world record of 46.56 seconds.  He has been trying to be allowed to compete in the regular Olympic in Beijing this summer but had previously been denied eligibility because they said he had an “unfair advantage” over able bodied runners.  Word just came out that he will be allowed to try to qualify after all.

Fox Sports says that, “Pistorius appealed to CAS, world sport’s highest tribunal, to overturn a Jan. 14 ruling by the IAAF which banned him from competing against able-bodied runners. The IAAF said his carbon fiber blades gave him a mechanical advantage.  

A two-day hearing was held before a panel of three arbitrators at CAS headquarters last month.

‘The IAAF Council’s decision of 14 January 2008 is revoked with immediate effect and the athlete is eligible to compete in IAAF events,’ CAS said Friday.” 

He still has to qualify though since his time, while fantastic, is still outside the Olympic qualifying standard of 45.55.   You can read more about this story here at International Associations of Athletics Federations or here on Fox Sports

Way to go, Oscar!!!

I think this is great . . . 

 but I’m a little biased. 

What do you think about this news?

~ by legmaker on May 16, 2008.