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Old 01-14-2008, 10:08 AM
 
Location: Pinal County, Arizona
25,100 posts, read 39,168,834 times
Reputation: 4937

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IMO, they should allow this man to compete!

The IAAF ruled Monday that double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius is ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics because his prosthetic racing legs give him a clear competitive advantage.

The International Association of Athletics Federations had twice postponed the ruling, but the executive Council said the South African runner's curved, prosthetic "Cheetah" blades were considered a technical aid in violation of the rules.

FOXNews.com - South African Double Amputee Barred From Competing in Olympics - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

Last edited by Greatday; 01-14-2008 at 10:17 AM..
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Old 01-14-2008, 10:44 AM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,143,074 times
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Kind of reminds me of the football placekicker, Tom Dempsey, who was born with a club foot, and was kicking with what amounted to a 3 iron.

Tom Dempsey: the defining moment in this kicker's career was, of course, his record 63-yard field goal against the Lions in 1970 - The Game I'll Never Forget | Football Digest | Find Articles at BNET.com
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:07 PM
 
130 posts, read 146,362 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greatday View Post
IMO, they should allow this man to compete!

The IAAF ruled Monday that double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius is ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics because his prosthetic racing legs give him a clear competitive advantage.

The International Association of Athletics Federations had twice postponed the ruling, but the executive Council said the South African runner's curved, prosthetic "Cheetah" blades were considered a technical aid in violation of the rules.

FOXNews.com - South African Double Amputee Barred From Competing in Olympics - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

If you read up on this it's pretty obvious why he shouldn't be able to compete. Once he gets up to speed the blades make it easier for him to run at top speed for an extended amount of time than an able bodied runner. In an event like the 400 meters this makes a big difference.
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:24 PM
 
Location: Land of Thought and Flow
8,323 posts, read 15,136,207 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seatown206 View Post
If you read up on this it's pretty obvious why he shouldn't be able to compete. Once he gets up to speed the blades make it easier for him to run at top speed for an extended amount of time than an able bodied runner. In an event like the 400 meters this makes a big difference.

Agreed so!

Directly from the article:
Quote:
Brueggemann found that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able bodied runners on about a quarter less energy. He found that once the runners hit a certain stride, athletes with artificial limbs needed less additional energy than other athletes.

The professor found that the returned energy "from the prosthetic blade is close to three times higher than with the human ankle joint in maximum sprinting."
This clearly gives him a huge advantage over everybody. It's like a non-medicinal steroid in the advantage it gives him.
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:25 PM
 
Location: The Rock!
2,370 posts, read 7,740,728 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seatown206 View Post
If you read up on this it's pretty obvious why he shouldn't be able to compete. Once he gets up to speed the blades make it easier for him to run at top speed for an extended amount of time than an able bodied runner. In an event like the 400 meters this makes a big difference.

Exactly, in this regard he does have an unfair advantage. At the olympic level, these runners have been spending their lives tailoring and refining very aspect of their running mechanics. You have to admit, this guy has his mechanics designed in and obviously designed for maximum output.
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:27 PM
 
Location: Santa Monica
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That person is a double-amputee due to a birth deformity, not due to any injury.
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:29 PM
 
Location: Land of Thought and Flow
8,323 posts, read 15,136,207 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ParkTwain View Post
That person is a double-amputee due to a birth deformity, not due to any injury.
That really makes no difference. He's being disqualified because his interestingly shaped prosthetics give him an advantage over others.

It takes less energy to run in them. Hence, he can run at his fastest for a longer timeframe. Hence, advantage.

He's eligible for the paralympics, btw. You know, the Olympics for handicapped individuals...
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:31 PM
 
Location: Santa Monica
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuharai View Post
That really makes no difference.


The OP was seeking sympathy for the runner.
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:32 PM
 
Location: Pinal County, Arizona
25,100 posts, read 39,168,834 times
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I think it would be interesting though to let him "compete" - even if it is not for medals, to see his capabilities.

This man has certainly had to train - and train hard.

Letting him compete would certainly be an inspiration for those with disabilities - IMHO
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Old 01-14-2008, 12:40 PM
 
Location: Santa Monica
4,714 posts, read 8,445,750 times
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Inspiration versus fairness. A tough call.
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