For the first time in Olympics history, we may see a disabled man compete with able-bodied men in the athletics events.Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal to compete in the Beijing Olympics from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday against a ban imposed on him by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
In November last year, the IAAF carried out tests on the 21-year-old "blade runner" at the German Sport University in Cologne to determine if his carbon fibre prosthetics, known as Cheetah limbs, could be considered a technical aid.
After using high-speed cameras, special equipment to measure ground-reaction forces and a three- dimensional scanner to record body mass to test him, the team of 10 scientists concluded that Pistorius was able to run with his blades at the same speed as able-bodied sprinters with about 25 percent less energy. Pistorius' blades gave him an energy return nearly three times higher than the human ankle joint offers in maximum sprinting.
Based on these findings, the IAAF banned Pistorius from competing, saying his carbon fibre blades gave him a mechanical advantage.
However, a panel of three arbitrators at CAS headquarters in Lausanne heard his appeal last month and ruled that it not been persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favour of a double-amputee using the blades.
The CAS decision has been hailed by several quarters, including the IAAF itself, and Pistorius can now expect invitations from track and field promoters across the world who want him to run at their meets before Beijing.
"Oscar will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer," IAAF president Lamine Diack said in a statement. "He is an inspirational man and we look forward to admiring his achievements in the future."
Here's the background information on the fastest man on no legs.
And finally, you can see him run in Rome last year:
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