The world championships will, for the first time, have an amputee competing. Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee, will represent South Africa in the 400 meters. This is a monumental achievement for any athlete, however even more so for this multiple gold-medal winning Paralympian. To be permitted to participate in able-bodied events with his Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs, Pistorius had to plead his case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Previously the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banned him from participating due to having a supposed unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes.
Pistorius’ controversy began back in November of 2007 after German professor Gert-Peter Brüggemann studied his prosthetic limbs and claimed they offer an unfair advantage. The study concluded that Pistorius’ limbs required 25% less energy and 30% less mechanical work for lifting the body when compared to human legs. Based on this information, the IAAF decided that the prosthetics could not be used in IAAF ruled competitions. The IAAF’s policy on technology in sports (as amended in 2007) bans, "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device.”
In May 2008 CAS decided to overrule the IAAF’s ban of Pistorius’ blades. While this decision made him eligible to compete in the 2008 Beijing Games, he did not qualify. CAS claims that the original study did not take into account both the advantages and the countering disadvantages of the prosthetic limbs, such as slower starts. Furthermore, they feel when positives and negatives are weighed in terms of the entirety of the race, no overall advantage is actually given to Pistorius. While a precedent has been set, CAS was careful to say that their ruling is specific to Pistorius and could change as technology advances in the future. Either way, many view this as a step in the right direction toward breaking down barriers for different types of athletes to compete together on one stage. Ref. espn.com, wikipedia.org Pic Ref. wikipedia.org
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