page_title: Oscar Pistorius
section_title: Dispute over prosthetics
hierarchical_section_title: Oscar Pistorius / Sporting career / Dispute over prosthetics
caption_attribution_description: English: Poster of the South African tabloid newspaper The Citizen showing the headline "Blade Runner cut down", a reference to the South African runner Oscar Pistorius being ruled by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as ineligible for competitions conducted under IAAF rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. Photographed in Johannesburg, South Africa.
context_page_description: Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius is a South African former professional sprinter and convicted murderer. In 2015 he was found guilty for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
  Both of Pistorius' feet had been amputated when he was 11 months old due to a congenital defect. He was born missing the outside of both feet along with both fibula leg bones. Pistorius ran in both non-disabled sprint events and in sprint events for below-knee amputees. He was the tenth athlete to compete at both the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games.
  After becoming a Paralympic champion, Pistorius attempted to enter non-disabled international competitions, over persistent objections by the International Association of Athletics Federations and charges that his artificial limbs gave an unfair advantage. Pistorius would prevail in this legal dispute. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Pistorius was the debut amputee to win a non-disabled world track medal. At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Pistorius was the debut double-leg amputee participant.
  On 14 February 2013, Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home.
context_section_description: Pistorius has been the subject of criticism because of claims that his artificial limbs give him an advantage over runners with natural ankles and feet. He runs with J-shaped carbon-fibre prosthetics called the "Flex-Foot Cheetah" developed by biomedical engineer Van Phillips and manufactured by Össur.
  On 26 March 2007, the IAAF amended its competition rules to include a ban on the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device". The IAAF stated that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius. To decide whether he was running with an unfair advantage, the IAAF monitored his track performances using high-definition cameras to film his race against Italian club runners in Rome on 13 July, and his 400 metres in Sheffield on 15 July 2007, at which he placed last.
  In November 2007, Pistorius was invited to take part in a series of scientific tests at the German Sports University Cologne under the guidance of Professor of Biomechanics Dr Peter Brüggemann in conjunction with Elio Locatelli, who was responsible for all technical issues in the IAAF. After two days of tests, Brüggemann reported on his findings on behalf of the IAAF. The report claimed that Pistorius's limbs used 25% less energy than runners with complete natural legs running at the same speed, and that they led to less vertical motion combined with 30% less mechanical work for lifting the body. In December, Brüggemann told Die Welt newspaper that Pistorius "has considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs who were tested by us. It was more than just a few percentage points. I did not expect it to be so clear." Based on these findings, on 14 January 2008, the IAAF ruled Pistorius's prostheses ineligible for use in competitions conducted under the IAAF rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Pistorius called the decision "premature and highly subjective" and pledged to continue fighting for his dream. His manager, Peet van Zylm said his appeal would be based on advice from experts in the United States who had said that the report "did not take enough variables into consideration".
  Pistorius subsequently appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and appeared before the tribunal at the end of April 2008. After a two-day hearing, on 16 May 2008, CAS upheld Pistorius' appeal and the IAAF council decision was revoked with immediate effect. The CAS panel unanimously determined that Brüggemann tested Pistorius' biomechanics only at full-speed when he was running in a straight line (unlike a real 400-metre race); that the report did not consider the disadvantages that Pistorius suffers at the start and acceleration phases of the race; and that overall there was no evidence that he had any net advantage over non-disabled athletes. In response to the announcement, Pistorius said: "My focus throughout this appeal has been to ensure that disabled athletes be given the chance to compete and compete fairly with non-disabled athletes. I look forward to continuing my quest to qualify for the Olympics."
caption: The South African newspaper The Citizen announcing the IAAF's decision to bar Pistorius from its competitions – photographed in Johannesburg on 16 January 2008
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