PaulE
01-15-2008, 01:52 PM
Anybody see this story in today's NY Times or been following it elsewhere? He will still be allowed to compete in the Paralympics though. (Apologies in advance if it's already in another thread I haven't read.):
New York Times
January 15, 2008
Ruling Halts Amputee Sprinter’s Olympic Bid
By JOSHUA ROBINSON
Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter from South Africa, will not be eligible to pursue his dream of qualifying for the Olympics, according to a ruling Monday by track and field’s world governing body.
The International Association of Athletics Federations explained in a statement that, after an independent scientific study, it deemed Pistorius’s state-of-the-art carbon fiber prosthetics “should be considered as technical aids which give him an advantage over other athletes not using them.”
Pistorius’s agent, Peet Van Zyl, said he and Pistorius were seeking legal advice in order to prepare an appeal. “We need to speak with the I.A.A.F. first and see what approaches we can follow there,” Van Zyl said in a telephone interview from South Africa. “The last resort will probably be the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
Pistorius, 21, was born without fibulas and had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. But in the four years since he started competing, he has set Paralympic world records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
The I.A.A.F. had originally cleared him to compete against able-bodied athletes last 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 about the limits that should be placed on technology. In November, the I.A.A.F. 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.
Brueggemann’s biomechanical and physiological analysis found that from a mechanical standpoint, the Cheetahs were more efficient than a human ankle and could return energy in maximum speed sprinting. Specifically, he established that “the mechanical advantage of the blade in relation to the healthy ankle joint of an able-bodied athlete is higher than 30 percent.” This means, according to the statement, that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able-bodied sprinters with about “25 percent less energy expenditure.”
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 I.A.A.F. to decide that the Cheetahs were in “clear contravention” of the rules.
Last week, the I.A.A.F. allowed Pistorius to circulate the findings to a number of other experts, and based on their opinions, Van Zyl says he believes that Pistorius still has a strong case.
“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.”
Van Zyl added that though Pistorius was “obviously disappointed,” he had seen the decision coming.
“I feel that it is my responsibility,” Pistorius told The Associated Press, “on behalf of myself and all other disabled athletes, to stand firmly and not allow one organization to inhibit our ability to compete using the very tools without which we simply cannot walk, let alone run. I will not stand down.”
The statement from the I.A.A.F. only specified the Cheetahs, manufactured by Iceland-based 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.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this and that the I.A.A.F. can’t appreciate that they’re still dealing with extraordinary athletes,” said Tabi King, a spokesperson for Ossur, which works closely with 25 elite disabled athletes. “There have been other bi-laterals who’ve raced in the Paralympics and have never come close to Oscar’s times. And the technology that’s being used with these world-class athletes has essentially been around for about 10 years.”
Van Zyl has not given up hope for Pistorius, who has yet to reach the automatic qualifying time for the 2008 Olympics of 45.55 seconds in the 400 meters.
“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.”
New York Times
January 15, 2008
Ruling Halts Amputee Sprinter’s Olympic Bid
By JOSHUA ROBINSON
Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter from South Africa, will not be eligible to pursue his dream of qualifying for the Olympics, according to a ruling Monday by track and field’s world governing body.
The International Association of Athletics Federations explained in a statement that, after an independent scientific study, it deemed Pistorius’s state-of-the-art carbon fiber prosthetics “should be considered as technical aids which give him an advantage over other athletes not using them.”
Pistorius’s agent, Peet Van Zyl, said he and Pistorius were seeking legal advice in order to prepare an appeal. “We need to speak with the I.A.A.F. first and see what approaches we can follow there,” Van Zyl said in a telephone interview from South Africa. “The last resort will probably be the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
Pistorius, 21, was born without fibulas and had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. But in the four years since he started competing, he has set Paralympic world records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
The I.A.A.F. had originally cleared him to compete against able-bodied athletes last 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 about the limits that should be placed on technology. In November, the I.A.A.F. 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.
Brueggemann’s biomechanical and physiological analysis found that from a mechanical standpoint, the Cheetahs were more efficient than a human ankle and could return energy in maximum speed sprinting. Specifically, he established that “the mechanical advantage of the blade in relation to the healthy ankle joint of an able-bodied athlete is higher than 30 percent.” This means, according to the statement, that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able-bodied sprinters with about “25 percent less energy expenditure.”
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 I.A.A.F. to decide that the Cheetahs were in “clear contravention” of the rules.
Last week, the I.A.A.F. allowed Pistorius to circulate the findings to a number of other experts, and based on their opinions, Van Zyl says he believes that Pistorius still has a strong case.
“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.”
Van Zyl added that though Pistorius was “obviously disappointed,” he had seen the decision coming.
“I feel that it is my responsibility,” Pistorius told The Associated Press, “on behalf of myself and all other disabled athletes, to stand firmly and not allow one organization to inhibit our ability to compete using the very tools without which we simply cannot walk, let alone run. I will not stand down.”
The statement from the I.A.A.F. only specified the Cheetahs, manufactured by Iceland-based 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.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this and that the I.A.A.F. can’t appreciate that they’re still dealing with extraordinary athletes,” said Tabi King, a spokesperson for Ossur, which works closely with 25 elite disabled athletes. “There have been other bi-laterals who’ve raced in the Paralympics and have never come close to Oscar’s times. And the technology that’s being used with these world-class athletes has essentially been around for about 10 years.”
Van Zyl has not given up hope for Pistorius, who has yet to reach the automatic qualifying time for the 2008 Olympics of 45.55 seconds in the 400 meters.
“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.”