Double-amputee sprinter can pursue Olympic dream: ruling

 "I wonder whether there is any Olympic athlete in the world who would have voted to exclude this brave man.  I doubt it."

In a unanimous ruling, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Friday that double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will have a chance to represent South Africa at the Beijing Olympics this summer.

CAS overturned a Jan. 14 ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations barring the 21-year-old from competing against able-bodied runners and said it goes into effect immediately.

"As you can imagine, I have been struggling to hide my smile for the last half an hour," Pistorius told reporters in Milan, Italy. "I can definitely say the truth has come out. We have the opportunity once again to chase my dream of participating in an Olympics, if not in 2008 then in 2012 [in London]."

Despite Friday's decision, Pistorius would still need to qualify for the South African team to race at the Aug. 8-24 Games.

In January, the IAAF ruled that Pistorius's J-shaped "Cheetah" prosthetic blades were energy efficient and gave the 21-year-old athlete a technical edge.

Pistorius' lawyers countered with independent tests conducted by a team led by MIT professor Hugh M. Herr that claimed to show he doesn't gain any advantage over able-bodied runners.

CAS said the IAAF failed to prove that Pistorius's running blades give him an advantage.

"The panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favour of a double-amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot," CAS said. "Furthermore, the CAS panel has considered that the IAAF did not prove that the biomechanical effects of using this particular prosthetic device gives Oscar Pistorius an advantage over other athletes not using the device."

Pistorius is expected to get 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."

Pistorius holds the 400-metre Paralympic world record of 46.56 seconds, but that time is outside the Olympic qualifying standard of 45.55. His training has been disrupted by the appeal process.

Even if Pistorius fails to get the qualifying time, South African selectors could add the University of Pretoria student to the Olympic 1,600-metre relay squad.

Pistorius would not require a qualifying time and could be taken to Beijing as an alternate. Six runners can be picked for the relay squad. Pistorius also expects to compete in Beijing at the Sept. 6-17 Paralympic Games.

He finished second in the 400 at the able-bodied South African national championships last year, and has set world records in the 100, 200 and 400 in Paralympic events.

Pistorius was born without fibulas — the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle — and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee. link