Should prosthetics be banned from IAAF sanctioned events such as the Olympics? IAAF officials think so.
The proposed rule would prohibit “use of any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device.”
The rule was originally meant to ban sophisticated gadgets that manufacturers add in the shoes of top athletes to make them run faster. But it would also cover the prostheses used by Pistorius.
This and other proposed rule changes will be submitted to the full IAAF Congress at its Aug. 22-23 meeting in Osaka, Japan, on the eve of the world championships.
I am not sure what I think about this. On the one hand, I don’t think that an amputee should be barred from competition. On the other hand, I can see the point of view of the IAAF and why they want this rule in place. What I wonder is whether prosthetics can be designed that would still allow an athlete to compete without bending or breaking the new rules, while at the same time not giving them an unfair disadvantage. Not having one or two of their legs is already enough of a disadvantage, I would think.
(Source: ESPN)
Yes, I think they should be banned. Or, at least if they run, they should not be able to hold records. It would be almost impossible to say what a person’s abilities would be if they had all their original limbs. Would they be better? worse? We don’t, and can’t, know.
The point of a competition is to prove what a person is capable of doing with their in it’s original state.
That is not to say that prosthetic wearing athletes should not be able to compete or hold records, but they should do it with equally capable people.
Before you think I have no love for people with handicaps, you must realize that I have dedicated my life’s ministry to those who are disabled. I just think that able bodied athletes should have a category of their own, and disabled athletes the same.
I always wondered about this. I think the PC athletes are incredible. I admire them. However, I wonder since they don’t have the same muscles to get tired and sore and over used, what affect this has. I realize they have other muscles they must use to make up for it, but it still just isn’t the same. It really is a confusing mess in my mind.
Let me get this straight, the persons commenting and you Blaine, seem to believe there is an advantage to being disabled or having mechanical limbs replacing original equipment?
Perhaps a mile in their shoes would help you to understand the discomfort they may be feeling on a day to day basis. Perhaps understanding that they will never again be considered whole in many peoples minds.
The last time I checked competition was designed to test yourself against others, regardless of their limitations.
I would suggest perhaps concerning yourselves with your own preparations and less about their “advantages”.
Next thing you know there will be restrictions for those who have had joint replacements! “No fair, he has a metal hip!”
Ima, I understand your point and can see how my comments can be taken in a devaluing way. For that I apologize.
Let me try to clear up my thoughts by expanding a bit further. In my day to day work with the disabled I get tired of seeing them compared to their able bodied counterparts. I think they should be allowed, and encouraged, to compete in competition with similarly capable athletes.
No, I don’t think they have an advantage because they lost a leg. What I am saying is that there is no way to know. If someone competes with all of their own, God given, body parts and can win the race, that is the only fair way to play the game.
There are many areas in life where the impaired have an equal footing. I also go to bat for them by trying to help employers understand that they may not be able to hear, or walk, or whatever, but that they are equally qualified for certain jobs.
And, yes, I personally believe that someone who has had hip, or knee replacement should not be allowed into the same category as someone with original manufacturer parts.