Ignore the moral dilemma, let Oscar run in our Games0

I don’t know how you feel on this one. But as far as I can see, if there was ever a condition that would be a real disadvantage in track athletics – and I mean a bona fide, sorry-mate-you-must-be-gutted bummer, here – it is probably having both of your legs chopped off.

That’s the damnable circumstance in which Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter, found himself when he was a baby. Born without a fibula in either leg, he had both of them amputated below the knee at the age of 11 months.

Hardly the most promising start in life for a man who hopes to win a medal in the 400m at the London 2012 Olympic Games. This week, however, Pistorius, 24, ran 400m in a personal best time of 45.07sec, propelling himself upon a pair of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon-fibre legs. It was a time which earned him the right to be considered for selection to London 2012 – and a time which would have seen him finish fifth in the 400m final at the (able-bodied) Beijing Games in 2008.

Although his run was some way off the 43.75sec required to win gold at Beijing, it is still significant. It means that, for the first time, a disabled athlete may line up against able-bodied athletes at an Olympic Games and hope to have a chance of beating them.

But is that fair? There are still a few doubters who would say that running on carbon-fibre legs gives Pistorius an advantage over all those other athletes who have to suffer the inconvenience of dragging around flesh-and-bone below their knees.

Although the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Pistorius to compete in May 2008, he is still monitored closely by the IAAF. It was suggested by researchers before Beijing that his carbon fibre legs in fact make running easier, since they do not produce lactic acid and require less energy to propel. The IAAF have reserved the right to reopen his case if there is any change to the technology he uses in his legs.

There is a sense in which you can see their point. Given the stained history of track and field, it is only proper that a governing body make sure that no one who hopes to run at the highest level is sneaking an artificial advantage over his competitors. Athletics still suffers from its reputation as a nest of snakes, many of whom who would do anything they could to shave a few 10ths of a second off their personal best.

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