Amputee Sprinter Wins Olympic Appeal to Compete

Dr. Eggman writes "Oscar Pistorius, a 21-year-old South African double-amputee sprinter, has won his appeal filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This overturns a ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations, and allows Mr. Pistorius the chance to compete against other able-bodied athletes for a chance at a place on the South African team for the Beijing Olympics. He currently holds the 400-meter Paralympic world sprinting record, but must improve on his time by 1.01 seconds to meet the Olympic qualification standard. However, even if Pistorius fails to get the qualifying time, South African selectors could add Oscar to the Olympic 1,600-meter relay squad."

Comments

Aperture Science is branching out, I see

[Anonymous Coward]

Since they can't compete with Black Mesa, now they're in the sporting equipment business?

Look out Nike.

Cyborg Olympics

[neomunk]

Sweet. Now I'm gonna go get my left arm hacked off and get a harpoon launcher installed for the javelin throw.

Or, to put it in a way slashdot understands...

1: Get amputation(s).
2: Get prosthetics with a mechanical advantage over mere flesh.
3: ???
4: Profit!

Re:Cyborg Olympics

[eln]

Just make sure you always masturbate with the OTHER hand.

Trust me on this one.

Re:Cyborg Olympics

[willyhill]

Laser-wielding sharks cannot be far behind now.

Some Day

[KidKadaver]

Someday, we'll look back at this event, with the power of hindsight and wonder how we failed to see the Cyborg War coming.

Re:Some Day

[Anonymous Coward]

When you say "the power of hindsight", you mean having cybernetic eyes implanted in the backs of our heads, right?

Re:Doping goes to a whole new level

[antifoidulus]

Ever watch that stupid robot battle show?

The O'Reilly factor?

While you two losers are duking it out...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll have a Sybian installed on mine.

Re:For long distance it can be an advantage

[Anonymous Coward]

Will athletes start hacking their own legs off to get ahead?

Or---stranger still---will they start hacking their own heads off to get a leg?

Damn amputees!

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not enough that he gets all the primo parking spaces... now he wants to show up us able-bodied guys in the Olympics too?!? I say we gang up on him and break his legs... oh, wait...

Re:Cyborg olympic

[Anonymous Coward]

look, the man was banned from the paralympics because it was felt that the prosthetic limbs gave him too much of an unfair advantage over the disabled people, now you want to ban him from the able-bodied olympics too? What will we have next, the Pistorilympics just for him? Anyone want to host it?

Re:i'm an amputee too

[Slashdot Suxxors]

You run on bicycles??

Re:How unfair...

[quantaman]

Call me sentimental, but I tend to think that the inspirational value -- to everyone, not just aspiring legless athletes -- of letting this fellow compete trumps any concerns over fairness.

In any case, it matters not at all to me and I'm content to let the Olympic bureaucrats make whatever decision they see fit. Inspirational that one guy in the present day can overcome his disability and (almost) compete at the highest level of the world.

Not so inspiration in 10 years when some incredibly fit and dedicated runners are staring down the track at some much less fit amputees bounding down the track like rabbits.

Re:How unfair...

[krazytekn0]

Think about it this way... You cut off your leg that means you have less body mass to support, meaning you don't have to eat as much or have as big of an impact on the planet. Cutting off your legs is not only a good way to get ahead in athletics but it's GREEN too!!!

Re:inspiration v. tech

[maceilean]

If he had one cyborg leg he really would be running in circles unless his meat leg could catch up.