Should prosthetics be banned?

Scott Birdby Scott Bird | June 5, 2007
Filed in Running | 5 comments

Oscar Pistorius at the Athens 2004 ParalympicsThere’s a very interesting discussion over at Run to Win on the recent calls to ban the use of prosthetics in international competition. This came about after South African double-amputee (both legs, below the knee) Oscar Pistorius was thought to have an unfair advantage. Does he? Does it matter? Should there be a rule change to accommodate the use of prosthetics?


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Comments

1
Russ
June 6, 2007 7:43 AM

How is not having legs an unfair advantage?

2
Scott
June 6, 2007 10:47 AM

Some people have claimed (though this is yet to be tested) that the prosthetics enable him to run faster than an able-bodied athlete of similar height and weight.

He’s known as the ‘fastest thing on no legs’.

3
Hermo
June 14, 2007 7:37 PM

I have understanding for some of the claims, but I feel give him a chance man!

People need to be challenged, why not let a double amputee challenge you?

Or someone afraid it might one day become a “race against the machine”?

4
paolo
June 30, 2007 2:16 AM

Well I have to say first of all that all my respect goes to disabled athletes.
But until it can’t be proved beyond any reasonable doubt that prosthetics aren’t of any advantage I think they can’t be allowed in a official competition.
It’s a matter of respect to the work of those that train hard to achieve results that someone else could reach with “a mechanical help”…

5
Scott
June 30, 2007 2:23 PM

Paolo, I agree with your initial sentiment - these guys deserve the utmost respect.

However, in the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ vein, why not allow him to compete until they’ve had a chance to test things? Realistically, if he were getting any advantage, there’d be people queueing up to have limbs lopped off.