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Pistorius lodges CAS appeal

13/02/2008 18:14 - (SA)


Geneva - Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius has asked world sport's highest court to overturn a ruling that he is ineligible to compete in the Olympics.

The IAAF ruled last month that the South African cannot participate in the Beijing Games - or any other sanctioned able-bodied competition - because his "Cheetah" prosthetics give him a clear competitive advantage.

The 21-year-old Pistorius appealed the decision on Wednesday to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), saying he does not get an unfair advantage from his prosthetic racing blades.

"I am filing this appeal not just for myself, but for all disabled athletes," Pistorius said in a statement. "We deserve a chance to compete at the highest levels if our bodies permit us to do so."

The IAAF ruling was based on studies it commissioned by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who conducted tests on the prosthetic limbs and said they gave Pistorius a mechanical edge. Pistorius has said the IAAF tests were done "very professionally" but added that other experts had told him the tests were not comprehensive enough.

The Lausanne, Switzerland-based CAS said it could not immediately comment.


More at: News24.com

Anyone seen "blade runner" in action?

They can't let him win this case --- if they did, it would create a dangerous precedant, and they would be forced to let any and all manner of "bionic athletes" and Six Million Dollar Men/Women into sports.

I haven't seen him in particular but I've seen a few others. This is a hard thing to decide if it does give a mechanical advantage or not and I'm obviously not qualified to answer that. However, that being said there are shoes that give one a mechanical advantage out there but everyone can obtain them so that equals things out. The Cheetahs however are not available to everyone and therein lies the crux of the problem IMO. I really feel sorry for the guy as he's obviously a great athlete in his own right.

It's the same in marathons, you have your able bodied winners and you also have wheelchair winners who blow the able bodied out of the water with their times.

Olympics in sight after Pistorius wins appeal

May 16 2008



Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal on Friday and can compete for a place in the Beijing Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration (CAS) for Sport ruled that the 21-year-old South African is eligible to race against able-bodied athletes, overturning a ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

CAS said the unanimous ruling goes into effect immediately.

Pistorius must still reach a qualifying time to run in the individual 400m at the August 8 to 24 Beijing Games. However, he can be picked for the South African relay squad without qualifying.

Pistorius appealed to CAS, world sport's highest tribunal, to overturn a ruling by the IAAF, which banned him from competing against able-bodied runners. The IAAF said his carbon-fibre blades gave him a mechanical advantage.

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

Pistorius holds the 400m Paralympic world record of 46,56 seconds, but that time is outside the Olympic qualifying standard of 45,55. His training has also been disrupted by the appeal process.

Even if Pistorius fails to get the qualifying time, South African selectors could add the University of Pretoria student to the Olympic 1 600m relay squad.

Pistorius would not require a qualifying time and could be taken to Beijing as an alternate. Six runners can be picked for the relay squad.

Pistorius also expects to compete in Beijing at the September 6 to 17 Paralympic Games.

The verdict also clears Pistorius to dedicate himself to competing at the 2012 London Olympics.

The IAAF based its January decision on studies by German Professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who said the J-shaped "Cheetah" blades were energy efficient.

Pistorius's lawyers countered with independent tests conducted by a team led by MIT Professor Hugh Herr, which claimed to show he doesn't gain any advantage over able-bodied runners.

Pistorius was born without fibulas -- the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle -- and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.

Hmm OK then, I wish him luck. I just wonder how far this will go? CNN

Best site. Happy about this.

................

GAYATHRI

I feel that this is so wrong...Olympics should be for the people that are able to run with their own legs , throw with their own hands etc.

Amputee Sprinter’s Beijing Quest Is Over

July 18, 2008
By JOSHUA ROBINSON





After a year of controversy, legal battles, and frantic effort, Oscar Pistorius will not be at the Olympic Games next month.

Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter from South Africa who runs on a pair of carbon-fiber blades, failed to meet the qualifying time for the 400 meters in his final attempt earlier this week and, Friday morning, was not selected to join the South African 4x400 meter relay squad.

Athletics South Africa’s president, Leonard Chuene, told The Associated Press that four others had posted faster times, and two others were chosen as alternates. According to Pistorius’s agent, Peet van Zyl, the sixth fastest time in South Africa was 46.02 seconds, still better than the personal best of 46.25 seconds he ran in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

“That’s the rules,” Van Zyl said. “Oscar’s the kind of guy who doesn’t want one set of rules for him and one set of rules for the others. He knew it was going to be tough and he gave it his best shot. One can’t expect more of a guy who has had about nine to 10 weeks to train.”


More at: The New York Times