This past Summer, Oscar Pistorius finally convinced the IAAF to test his prosthetics to determine whether he did in fact have an advantage over able-bodied athletes or not.
The tests have been conducted, the results are in, and the prognosis: Pistorius does in fact have an advantage and will now banned from international competition. The IAAF has not actually taken an official stand, and will not make any public announcements until January 10th. The German newspaper Die Welt, however, is reporting that the German Sport University in Cologne (Institute of Biomechanics and Orthopaedics) has indeed found that the prosthetics used by Oscar should be considered as technical aids in contravention of IAAF competition rule 144.2.
[Gert-Peter] Bruggeman, who put Pistorius through a series of tests in November at the IAAF’s request, told Die Welt: “He has a considerable advantage compared with athletes without prosthetic limbs who have undergone the same tests.
“The difference is several percentage points and I did not think the findings would be so conclusive.”
The report is not publicly available, so what aids they specifically found that Oscar Pistorius has is only speculation at this point. More details will be forthcoming in mid-January.
- IAAF Press Release
- Die Welt Newspaper
- The Science of Sport (discussion & analysis)
- Hat Tip: Straight to the Bar
While I was one of the ones that thought he should be banned until proven that he has no mechanical advantage, I am disappointed that it has actually happened.
I don’t know if this means he can have his prosthetics modified, or get another type that will allow him to officially compete.
That all depends upon what his source of advantages are, and we won’t know that until January. If they decide that his lack of blood volume doesn’t offset his lack of lactic acid build up then it probably won’t matter.