Introduction
The Beijing 2008 Olympics is to be held very soon. Many spectators are already planning and exerting extra efforts so that they will be able to watch first-hand every event in the said Olympics. However, there is no more excitement and preparation very hard than the athletes themselves. It has been a part of many athletes’ dream to take part in any Olympic event. And Oscar Pistorius is among these hopeful athletes who have been trying to prove that he deserves to be in the Olympics, particularly in the track and field category.
However, some of the committee in the Olympics have suggested banning Pistorius from joining and their claim is that Pistorius, as a leg-amputee, has a mechanical thing attached to his body which provides an advantage for him over his competitors. This idea should not be supported. Pistorius deserves to join the Olympics, he has earned that right. He, therefore, should not be banned from joining the Olympics.
Why Pistorius Deserves to be in the Olympics?
Oscar Pistorius was born on November 22, 1986, with a diagnosed congenital disorder, particularly in his legs. Barely eleven months after he was born, his doctor was forced to amputate his legs from his knees to ankles. His legs were replaced with a j-shaped carbon-fiber prosthetics manufactured by Icelandic company Ă–ssur. His legs were coined as the “Cheetahs” (Hanc, 2007).
Despite being an amputee or having prosthetic legs, Pistorius did not limit himself from joining various physical activities, especially while he was studying. In fact, he played rugby, water polo, and state tennis when he was 11 years old. He also had experience joining and playing in an Olympic Wrestling club. When he suffered from a serious injury while playing rugby, he then realized that he needed to take part in safer sports, hence the start of his running career (McHugh, 2008).
It was in the year 2004 when Pistorious started to climb the success ladder in the track and field arena. He gained the tag as the “Blade Runner” and is normally believed as the “fastest man on no legs”. The very first major competition where Pistorious won was the 2004 Summer Paralympics which was held in Athens, Greece (McHugh, 2008).
“He came third overall in the T44 100 m event, which includes single amputees. Despite falling in the preliminary round for the 200 m, he qualified for the final. He went on to win the final with a world record time of 21.97 seconds, beating single amputee American runners Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure.” (McHugh, 2008)”
His success never stopped as he remained at the top in various track and field categories from 2005 to 2007, namely (McHugh, 2008):
- Sixth place and the second placer in a 400m dash of the South African Championships
- Gold medalist in both the 100m and 200m dash of the 2005 Paralympic World Cup
- Gold medalist in the three categories – 100 200 and 400m events – for the Paralympic Athletics World Championships
He remained on top of other events held in various countries like Finland, Rome, and Sheffield. And he dreams of participating in the able-bodied category of track and field, especially in the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympics (McHugh, 2008).
Indeed, Pistorius has already earned his right to join the Olympics. He has proven that he can run faster than any other leg-amputee and even faster than some of the able-bodied runners. Many critics will surely agree with me as proven by the write-ups and articles of Josh McHugh and John Hanc.
Why do Others think Pistorius Should be Banned?
Pistorious’ dream of joining the Olympics to compete with the able-bodied runner is now clouded by several issues pertaining to his physical conditions. A number of event organizers have raised concerns that Pistorius had an enormous advantage over his competitors because of his “Cheetah” legs. Some critical viewers agree with the said committee who doubts Pistorius’ legal capability to run. Austin in his article written in 2007 says that Pistorius’ legs, however, amputated they may seem, are in considerable advantage over his able-bodied competitors. They claim that Pistorious’ legs gave him the ability to cover bigger strides and that it has enabled him to use his legs with lesser consumption of energy. They are then asked for Pistorius to be banned from the Olympics (Austin, 2007).
This of course leaves Pistorious in a disheartened state which should have not happened. Pistorius has prosthetic legs and this should not be seen as a device that makes him advantageous over his opponents. And Pistorius is willing to prove this by subjecting his legs to a scientific study if these people who are questioning him can prove that he is indeed at an advantage over his opponents. Pistorious’ supporters even feel that this is just one of the ways to discriminate against Pistorious because they could not accept a leg-amputee, like him, could beat him in a running contest.
Taking a Stand
There are no enough grounds that will prove that Pistorious has the advantage over his opponents because of his legs. The fact remains that Pistorious has to run more or longer than his opponents because he still has to condition his legs for such running requirements. More so, Pistorious needs to be aware if there will be rain or if the ground will be dry enough for him to run smoothly. It should not be forgotten that there was a time in Pistorious career where he was disqualified to run in a certain event because the area was too wet (Hanc, 2005).
With regards to the consumption of bodily energy in using the real legs versus Pistorius’ “Cheetah” legs, there is no significant difference with that. In fact, when a study was conducted comparing Pistorious’ legs with the other athlete’s able-bodied legs, it shows that Pitorious consume only a slightly lower amount of energy. And this does not include the fact that Pistorius has to condition his legs first, that is why he always chooses the longer running events like the 200m and the 400m dash because his legs tend to start slower and only run fast at the later part of the course (Hanc, 2007).
Indeed, it is extremely unfair if Pistorious will be banned from the Olympics. His legs, should not be, in any way, seen as an advantage over his rivals. In fact, it should be seen as a disadvantage on Pistorious’ side. He is a leg-amputee. His legs are fake. He needs to muster the courage and the energy to move his legs and make them run as fast as he could. He needs to train more than his opponents’ do, not only because of the fact that his legs are just prosthetics but because of the underlying factors that go with running – such as the wind condition, the level and conditions of the ground where he would run and the likes.
What Pistorious wants is just to prove to the world that being a leg-amputee like him should not be prevented from competing against the seemingly perfect body competitors (referring to those with real and natural legs). He is there to play fairly and nobody should question and limit him of such right.
References
Austin, Simon. 2007. “Blade Runner’s Ongoing Battle”. Web.
Hanc, John. 2008. “Olympic ban doesn’t apply to amputee marathoner”. Web.
McHugh, Josh. 2008. “Blade Runner”. Wired. Web.