Ben Preiss
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 Published: Jul 23, 07 Views: 3,984 The sight of Oscar Pistorius zipping across a track is a bit mind blowing. Blade Runner is probably an apt nickname as it is both descriptive of his prosthetics and suggestive of the futuristic way he uses the prosthetic technology to propel himself. He holds the 100m, 200m and 400m world records at the Paralympics, placed seventh at a 400m mainstream race in England (he was disqualified for going outside his lane) and he is setting his sites on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Some people are saying that technology gives him an unfair advantage against his able bodied opponents.  Faster, better, stronger?
Some high-tech prosthetics look as if they'd give athletes an advantage, but perception might not jibe with reality. With sleek, curved prosthetic legs that appear straight out of a sci-fi movie, sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been blazing across running tracks, leaving controversy in his wake.
At issue is whether those carbon graphite appendages give the 20-year-old South African bilateral amputee an advantage over able-bodied runners, an issue that's yet to be determined as he makes a bid for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. No, say prosthetic manufacturers, other amputee athletes and researchers. Maybe, says the International Assn. of Athletic Federations, the governing body of world track and field, which continues to study the matter before making a ruling.
Although national Olympic committees ultimately select the competitors, technical rules in track and field are enforced by the IAAF. And one of its rules forbids "technical aids that give the competitor an advantage over someone not using them."
(latimes)References: businessweek, latimes Filed In: |
