Prosthetic-Limbed Runner Disqualified from Olympic Games

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."

Comments

I never thought I'd see the day ...

[Buran]

This is the first time I've heard of a handicapped person being discriminated against because they're too good. As someone who's hard of hearing, I find 99% of bias against me coming from the fact that I'm not good enough.

Re:I never thought I'd see the day ...

[Itninja]

I have friends in the deaf community, and I have seen others show discomfort around them because their communication methods are (according to some) more advanced. My friends can carry on complete conversations, silently, from across the room - using ASL. And they can, by lip reading, tell what others are saying even if they are out of voice range.

Re:I never thought I'd see the day ...

[elBart0]

They're not discriminating against him, or even all prosthetic limbs. They are simply saying that those particular prosthetics give an unfair mechanical advantage. Someone else is free to develop different prosthetic legs that do not give as much of a mechanical advantage, and those may, possibly, be acceptable.

Re:I never thought I'd see the day ...

[rucs_hack]

I've fancied trying some of those spring legs for a while. They aren't just for amputees. The US military are, if I recall correctly, investigating this technology (in computer assisted form) for groundpounders (oh dear, the B5 fandom is showing).

I can see why he'd be disqualified, although it must be sad for him. Surely he must have realised the chances were slim though, those things are far too good.

Re:I never thought I'd see the day ...

[Bombula]

I'm all for a 'modified' Olympics. There was a funny SNL skit years ago that featured the 'All-Steroid Olympics'. I actually think it's a great idea, and not just with drugs but with any body modification people can imagine. You could have simple rules, like banning wheels for certain 'foot' races, etc, but I'd love to see what people come up with. Hell, major league sports are exciting because of the incredible feats these guys perform. If they need steroids or plastic legs to do it, so what? Given the steroid situation in MLB in the news recently, I think the verdict from the public is already pretty much in on this: if it means they hit more home runs, let these animals juice themselves into oblivion if they want to. They're adults; it's their choice.

Re:I never thought I'd see the day ...

[Blakey Rat]

Obligatory H. G. Wells link:

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2157/

His short story, the Country of the Blind in which he challenges the assertion that "in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." Turns out that sight isn't nearly as much of an advantage in a society designed by the blind as one may think.

Spring instead of 'feet'

[Tungbo]

The 'blade' does look like a spring. When he's just walking around, one can see him bouncing up and donw a bit. So this seems reasonable. He might qualify if he used a different prosthetic technology. I just hope athletes don't start thinking about replacing their naturla legs to get 'a leg up'!

Re:Spring instead of 'feet'

[Loke the Dog]

I think you're underestimating how dedicated most pro athletes are. They wouldn't think twice about cutting of their legs if thats what it took.

Many of them actually have constant pain that they just ignore because the doc told them it won't get worse. Its a fact that they get much shorter lives than other people. They start at a very young age, and have no "normal" life from that point on. I could go on, but the point is that what makes them different from the rest of us is not their bodies, but their minds. They are very often psychos. Try getting their honest opinion on politics and you'll realize that.

Get over it.

[Besna]

I am a transhumanist--behind it all the way. Stories like this trivialize the serious nature of transhumanism. It's not about implanting a bike or something. It's about the relief of suffering, and the unlocking of our true abilities. Read Kurzweil's latest books. Go to Transworld or the Singularity Summit. Betterhumans.com is growing in quality. Sentientdevelopments.blogspot.com feature George Dvorsky, an experienced thinker and speaker. The wise atheists among us don't need to be told the obvious--that our disabled are quickly become our first transhumans. The real developments await.

Re:good, no precedent

[moderatorrater]

I can tell you without an once of hesitation that if I could trade my legs for $20 million, I'd do it in an instant.

Re:In other news...

[Otter]

In fact, Bonds *does* wear a performance-enhancing mechanical device on his elbow, that not only allows him to lean over the plate but also locks his swing into a groove and provides some mechanical advantages.

Re:Headline not accurate. (Surprise!)

[Joe Tie.]

I've wanted this ever since I watched the Olympics and realized how bored I was. Putting people who won the genetic lottery into similar training programs and seeing who comes out on top isn't that interesting to me. But pushing people 'beyond' their natural limits, and in the process potentially expanding the meaning of being human and the possibilities for the species at large...that's interesting.