Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Prosthetic-Limbed Runner Disqualified from Olympic Games

Posted by Zonk on from the street-sams-are-right-around-the-corner dept.

contraba55 wrote with a link to an Engadget story on a sign of the postmodern times. Oscar Pistorius, a world-class sprinter, has been denied a shot at participating in the Olympics this year. He's a double-amputee, but he's not out because of his handicap; he's disqualified because he's faster than most sprinters. "The runner — who uses carbon-fiber, prosthetic feet — was reviewed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (or IAAF), a review which found the combination of man and machine to be too much for its purely human competitors. According to the IAAF report, the 'mechanical advantage of the blade in relation to the healthy ankle joint of an able bodied athlete is higher than 30-percent.' Additionally, Pistorius uses 25-percent less energy than average runners due to the artificial limbs, therefore giving him an unfair advantage on the track."

14 of 509 comments (clear)

  1. man... by jtroutman · · Score: 5, Funny

    I bet he's kicking himself now

    --
    I stole this sig from a more creative user.
    1. Re:man... by houstonbofh · · Score: 5, Funny

      I hope the enforce fake boobs on figure skaters as well... Fix that polar inertia advantage once and for all!

    2. Re:man... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, the committee really cut his legs out from under him.

    3. Re:man... by Doctor-Optimal · · Score: 5, Funny

      I bet he's kicking himself now

      Yeah, the committee really cut his legs out from under him. Just what I expected on this article: lame jokes.
      --
      New punctuation update "~" (no quotes) at the end of a line to indicate sarcasm. ~
    4. Re:man... by DancesWithBlowTorch · · Score: 4, Funny

      It'll only be a few years till the Paralympics will be more exciting than the real thing.

      And disabled people will be beating up young males in the street.

      I, for one... no. I'm not that cheap.

    5. Re:man... by Doctor-Optimal · · Score: 5, Funny

      That was very well done. It may have been too subtle for this crowd.

      Oh man, that was great. Not at all too subtle. I tip my hat to your sir (or maam) and only wish that I had mod points to give you. Thank you guys so much. I'm really just trying to get my footing here at slashdot.
      --
      New punctuation update "~" (no quotes) at the end of a line to indicate sarcasm. ~
    6. Re:man... by bark76 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't like running gags?

      --
      Help find a cure for cancer!
    7. Re:man... by 93,000 · · Score: 5, Funny

      With a well-heeled sense of humor like that, you'll find your legs in no time.

      --
      Sweet informative mod.
    8. Re:man... by bobdotorg · · Score: 4, Funny

      I bet he's kicking himself now

      Nah - he's taking it in stride.

      --
      __ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
  2. Headline not accurate. (Surprise!) by raehl · · Score: 5, Funny

    The runner wasn't disqualified. The artificial limbs he had been using were prohibited.

    It's still possible for the runner to compete, so long as he does not use equipment that gives him an unfair advantage.

    --
    paintball
  3. In other news... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

    Barry Bonds testified today before a Congressional committee that he had never used performance-enhancing double-amputation prosthetic-limb-replacement surgery, in accordance with MLB policy.

    He then bounded over the table and out the door at 40mph.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  4. Re:Get over it. by Hatta · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, posts like yours seriousize the trivial nature of transhumanism.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  5. Life imitates art. by El_Smack · · Score: 4, Funny

    And I suppose PitchBot 9000 was just a modified Howitzer?

    --


    There are 01 kinds of cars in the world. The General Lee, and everything else.
  6. Re:good, no precedent by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...trade my legs for $20 million

    How about a pay per view televised event where they amputated your legs with a sledge hammer? It would take many swings, but I'm sure 80's celebrity Gallagher could do it with a live audience protected from flying knee meat by a plastic bib.

    Certainly that would fetch $20 million.