MPH Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 i dont think the people objecting to this have a leg to stand on with their objections....
Guest ttfn Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Out of interest. I'm able-bodied. If it turned out I was ace at wheelchair basketball could I compete in the Paralympics?
accessory Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Out of interest. I'm able-bodied. If it turned out I was ace at wheelchair basketball could I compete in the Paralympics? Nope. Tests are done to prove an athlete's disability. In some events they are graded according to degree of disability.
Guest ttfn Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Nope. Tests are done to prove an athlete's disability. In some events they are graded according to degree of disability. In that case he shouldn't be allowed to compete either.
Len Finsbury Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 As they are unable to prove whether these carbon fibre limbs give him an advantage then he shouldn't be included in able-bodies events. Proof of this will probably be impossible. Lower halves of limbs suffer from fatigue and injuries that his 'limbs' won't. In a one off race he may not have an advantage but the Olympics is about qualifying through the heats which can have a physical effect on the body. All athletes should be on a level playing field if they are to compete against each other. What next... swimmers wearing flippers because they have no feet? If we're letting this guy, and others like him, compete with the able-bodied then we might as well accept the drug use too. A separate race during the main event, would be perfectly fine for borderline athletes rather than having to compete in a completely different competition but only for certain events. We don't want to completely integrate the Paralympics with the main competition, though. I, like millions of other sports fans, don't watch them and don't have the same enthusiasm for them as the Olympics. That's not to say I don't find his determination and ability admirable.
accessory Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 As they are unable to prove whether these carbon fibre limbs give him an advantage then he shouldn't be included in able-bodies events. Proof of this will probably be impossible. Lower halves of limbs suffer from fatigue and injuries that his 'limbs' won't. In a one off race he may not have an advantage but the Olympics is about qualifying through the heats which can have a physical effect on the body. All athletes should be on a level playing field if they are to compete against each other. What next... swimmers wearing flippers because they have no feet? If we're letting this guy, and others like him, compete with the able-bodied then we might as well accept the drug use too. A separate race during the main event, would be perfectly fine for borderline athletes rather than having to compete in a completely different competition but only for certain events. We don't want to completely integrate the Paralympics with the main competition, though. I, like millions of other sports fans, don't watch them and don't have the same enthusiasm for them as the Olympics. That's not to say I don't find his determination and ability admirable. That's a ridiculous comparison. Athletes choose whether or not to take banned drugs. Pistorious didn't choose to have this legs amputated. As you say, there's no conclusive evidence that his artificial limbs give him an advantage. Presumably this is what the judges decided when they ruled he should be allowed to compete in events alongside able-bodied athletes.
John Matrix Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 yes he should. he failed to even make qualifying time last time he tried so he can't be gaining too much of an advantage. it's not like he's running bolt numbers with his legs.
accessory Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 To be fair, he's not trying to. If he qualifies, it will be in the 400m and not the sprint events.
Len Finsbury Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 That's a ridiculous comparison. Athletes choose whether or not to take banned drugs. Pistorious didn't choose to have this legs amputated. As you say, there's no conclusive evidence that his artificial limbs give him an advantage. Presumably this is what the judges decided when they ruled he should be allowed to compete in events alongside able-bodied athletes. It isn't ridiculous. It's to highlight the use of something to give one an advantage over another. If the judges allow him to compete against able-bodied and be included in records and official figures then it'll be because of the 'human rights - let's not upset anyone' point of view. What about the long distance guys in wheelchairs, do they have an advantage over runners? Where will it end? It'll be a farce and public interest will dip. Let's face it, hardly anyone watched the Paralympics in comparison to the main competition.
Itsthejoeker Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 It isn't ridiculous. It's to highlight the use of something to give one an advantage over another. If the judges allow him to compete against able-bodied and be included in records and official figures then it'll be because of the 'human rights - let's not upset anyone' point of view. What about the long distance guys in wheelchairs, do they have an advantage over runners? Where will it end? It'll be a farce and public interest will dip. Let's face it, hardly anyone watched the Paralympics in comparison to the main competition. He has no leg beyond the knee...
Len Finsbury Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 He has no leg beyond the knee... I know that. I'm not saying he isn't disadvantaged in life. Having a disability can't be easy, I'm referring to the advantage gained by the mechanical aids that he's using to race with compared to no mechanical aids of able-bodied competitors.
Finnegan Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Skim-reading this I can't see if anyone's pointed this out already, but the man's personal best is a full two seconds off the world record and probably a full second off being competitive internationally. After sanctions were lifted in 2008, he still didn't qualify for the Seth Efrikan Beijing team. Not saying that that's strictly the point but then he's clearly not at such a great advantage that he's tearing up the field, mmh?
skinnydipper Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Skim-reading this I can't see if anyone's pointed this out already, but the man's personal best is a full two seconds off the world record and probably a full second off being competitive internationally. After sanctions were lifted in 2008, he still didn't qualify for the Seth Efrikan Beijing team. Not saying that that's strictly the point but then he's clearly not at such a great advantage that he's tearing up the field, mmh? Yeah but what if they put him in the workshop before the heats. A few bangs of the hammer and turns of the spanner later and he's smoking down the track leaving Bolt et al in his wake. The Boks will do anything to achieve sporting success. Wasn't it them that had that bird with the bollox running for medals?
Finnegan Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Yeah but what if they put him in the workshop before the heats. A few bangs of the hammer and turns of the spanner later and he's smoking down the track leaving Bolt et al in his wake. The Boks will do anything to achieve sporting success. Wasn't it them that had that bird with the bollox running for medals? With the A-Team theme tune blaring out? If his apparatus were tampered with he'd be subject to disqualification. What people have to appreciate is that he's in a difficult situation. He's made the Paralympics a complete joke, waltzing through every event with ease, setting times that nobody else can compete with. You stick him in top tier competition against the likes of LaShawn Merrit and he's going to be, at best, a back-marker but at least he'll be running with a standard of competition that fits his capabilities.
DANGEROUS TIGER Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Quite frankly, I can see both sides of the argument, and so feel unqualified to comment, without knowing ALL the facts, about how much effort, and use of his upper legs, are required. However, we could well, be entering the realms of the Disability Discrimination Act., which could open an entirely new can of worms.
Finnegan Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 I'm not, sure, really. The whole point of the Paralympics is to cater for the disabled. Pistorius is in the remarkable situation of having to justify that he isn't disabled, that the Olympics is the right competition for him to be in. I'm not really sure there's going to be cries of discrimination if they deem the advantage to be unfair. As far as I'm aware, though, like I said - he was actually eligible to run in 2008 in Beijing when the decision was overturned but he just didn't make the South African team (which, in my eyes, means he probably shouldn't have been allowed in the Paralympics.) So this really isn't especially "news," just strikes me as slightly pointless journalism really, story out of nothing.
Nick Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Cut your legs off, attach a couple of springs and enter the high jump - Gold. Don't know where I stand on this one.
Trav Le Bleu Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 For the record, his fastest time would have seen him finish 4th at the Beijing Olympics. Just in case anyone's thinking "what harm can he do, he's not going to be a serious contender."
Zingari Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 cut your legs off , have a shark's tail fin Xenotransplanted ( i think that's the word ?) on to your torso , clean up all the golds in the pool maybe the diving would be a problem though
Trav Le Bleu Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 cut your legs off , have a shark's tail fin Xenotransplanted ( i think that's the word ?) on to your torso , clean up all the golds in the pool maybe the diving would be a problem though Backstroke starts in the pool - sorted
Zingari Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 Backstroke starts in the pool - sorted i'd want more than a gold in backstroke if i was going to spend the rest of my life looking like Ariel the mermaid though couldn't someone be allowed to hold me up on the stating box ?
Trav Le Bleu Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 i'd want more than a gold in backstroke if i was going to spend the rest of my life looking like Ariel the mermaid though couldn't someone be allowed to hold me up on the stating box ? So you can give us lots of stats? No thanks!
John Matrix Posted 24 July 2011 Posted 24 July 2011 For the record, his fastest time would have seen him finish 4th at the Beijing Olympics. Just in case anyone's thinking "what harm can he do, he's not going to be a serious contender." so he wouldn't have even got a medal.
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