The IAAF said today that Oscar Pistorius blade-shaped prosthetic racing blades give him "an unfair advantage."
All he wants to do is compete in the Beijing Olympics-with the rest of the able-bodied folk.
The IAAF is determined not to have that happen.
Just as I thought...I wrote several months ago about how long it would take a disabled athlete to sue the IOC or one of the sport governing bodies over a right to compete issue.
And it's come to fruition.
The guy can't help it. He's a double amputee. It's not his fault, but the IAAF sure wants Oscar to pay, and pay big time for his disability. And that's just plain wrong.
All he wants to do is compete. And compete in an area where he feels comfortable. And that area is with the able-bodied runners. And he should be able to do that, no questions asked.
The issue is whether his running blades give him an unfair advantage over an able-bodied runner. I can tell you from experience with 17 years of working the Peachtree Road Race under my belt, that if it was up to him, he probably would welcome the return of his two original feet, instead of having to fight for the right to compete.
I've observed wheelchair athletes. Let me tell you, seeing a wheelchair barreling at you at close to 100 MPH can only mean one thing: get out of the way, before you are roadkill. Oscar isn't a wheelchair athlete, but the IAAF is trying to pigeonhole him like one and dictate how they think he should compete, instead of taking his feelings and needs into consideration. And that is where the stalemate is.
He's obviously thought this through and decided the Paralympics isn't for him. It should be his right and his decision to compete in an atmosphere that best suits his talents and needs. Ironically you don't hear athletes voicing objections-just the governing bodies. It would then beg the question: who's interests are at stake here?
I've said before that bid cities should be required to have a "right to compete" statement in their bid documents. Then the Pistorius case wouldn't have got as far as the IAAF.
I hope Oscar get the right to compete however he wishes. He will be a trailblazer, in more ways than one.
