Summer Olympics News

I read this really cool story on MSN the other day about an amputee trying to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

A South African sprinter, Oscar Pistorius, won an appeal this past Friday that will allow him to try out for the Beijing Olympics, running along with athletes that don’t have any disabilities. This ruling overturns a ban by IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) that prevented him from competing in the Olympics.

I can kind of understand the reason for the original ban, because Oscar’s new legs look quite powerful and they aren’t his own legs. What’s to stop racers from being able to use robotic legs that are stronger and faster than normal human legs? On the other hand, I think it’s kind of cool…

What do you think?

Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee dubbed the fastest man on no legs, will most likely be banned from pursuing his Olympic dreams. Tests conducted show that his prosthetic legs give him a competitive advantage. He plans to appeal the decision and request additional testing.

I understand the IAAF’s need to ban any items which give a technological advantage. However, it does seem that the fact that the man has no legs mitigates any advantage the prosthetics may give him. If ever there were a place for an exception, this would seem to be it. By the way, Pistorius is not exactly the bionic man. He has not yet run Olympic qualifying times and was simply seeking the opportunity to compete. He was not considered a high threat for qualifying, much less medaling at the Olympics.