Double Amputee Barred From Competing in Olympics (middle east, versus, world)
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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