----- Original Message ----- From: "Justice For All Moderator" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 2:52 PM Subject: Amputee Sprinter: Disabled or Too-Abled?
> Dear Reader, > > The following message and article came to us from our friends at > Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: > > "A South African runner who uses prosthetic legs is challenging > the distinctions between 'abled and disabled,' according to a > front-page article in today's NY Times. Not only is he a > Paralympic gold-medalist, but he is placing high in mainstream > track competitions and aiming to qualify for the 2008 Summer > Olympics. His speed and ambition are raising questions both > philosophical -- about the nature of sport and athletes -- and > practical -- about the potential performance advantages of some > assistive devices. The article follows. > > "Another news item on an athlete with a disability vying to > compete on equal terms appears in today's Washington Post. It > concerns a judge's ruling against wheelchair champion Tatyana > McFadden's suit to score points for her high school track team. > You can find the article at > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/ > 2007/05/14/AR2007051401614.html > ________________________________________________________________ > > May 15, 2007 > > An Amputee Sprinter: Is He Disabled or Too-Abled? > By Jeri Longman > > MANCHESTER, England As Oscar Pistorius of South Africa crouched > in the starting blocks for the 200 meters on Sunday, the small > crowd turned its attention to the sprinter who calls himself the > fastest man on no legs. > > Pistorius wants to be the first amputee runner to compete in the > Olympics. But despite his ascendance, he is facing resistance from > track and field's world governing body, which is seeking to bar > him on the grounds that the technology of his prosthetics may give > him an unfair advantage over sprinters using their natural legs. > > His first strides were choppy Sunday, a necessary accommodation to > sprinting on a pair of j-shaped blades made of carbon fiber and > known as Cheetahs. Pistorius was born without the fibula in his > lower legs and with other defects in his feet. He had both legs > amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. At 20, his > coach says, he is like a five-speed engine with no second gear. > > Yet Pistorius is also a searing talent who has begun erasing the > lines between abled and disabled, raising philosophical questions: > What should an athlete look like? Where should limits be placed on > technology to balance fair play with the right to compete? Would > the nature of sport be altered if athletes using artificial limbs > could run faster or jump higher than the best athletes using their > natural limbs? > > Once at full speed Sunday, Pistorius handily won the 100 and 200 > meters here at the Paralympic World Cup, an international > competition for disabled athletes. A cold, rainy afternoon > tempered his performances, but his victories came decisively and > kept him aimed toward his goal of the 2008 Summer Olympics in > Beijing, even though international track officials seek to block > his entrance. > > Since March, Pistorius has delivered startling record performances > for disabled athletes at 100 meters (10.91 seconds), 200 meters > (21.58 seconds) and 400 meters (46.34 seconds). Those times do not > meet Olympic qualifying standards for men, but the Beijing Games > are still 15 months away. Already, Pistorius is fast enough that > his marks would have won gold medals in equivalent women's races > at the 2004 Athens Olympics. > > Pistorius's time of 46.56 in the 400 earned him a second-place > finish in March against able-bodied runners at the South African > national championships. This seemingly makes him a candidate for > the Olympic 4x400-meter relay should South Africa qualify as one > of the world's 16 fastest teams. > > "I don't see myself as disabled," said the blond, spiky-haired > Pistorius, a former rugby and water polo player who declines to > park in spaces reserved for the disabled. "There's nothing I can't > do that able-bodied athletes can do." > > An Equalizer or an Edge? > > Still, the question persists: Do prosthetic legs simply level the > playing field for Pistorius, compensating for his disability, or > do they give him an inequitable edge via what some call techno- > doping? > > Experts say there have been limited scientific studies on the > biomechanics of amputee runners, especially those missing both > legs. And because Pistorius lost his legs as an infant, his speed > on carbon-fiber legs cannot be compared with his speed on natural > legs. > > Track and field's world governing body, based in Monaco and known > by the initials I.A.A.F., has recently prohibited the use of > technological aids like springs and wheels, disqualifying > Pistorius from events that it sanctions. A final ruling is > expected in August. > > The International Olympic Committee allows governing bodies to > make their own eligibility rules, though it can intervene. Since > 2004, for example, transgender athletes have been allowed to > compete in the Olympics. > > "With all due respect, we cannot accept something that provides > advantages," said Elio Locatelli of Italy, the director of > development for the I.A.A.F., urging Pistorius to concentrate on > the Paralympics that will follow the Olympics in Beijing. "It > affects the purity of sport. Next will be another device where > people can fly with something on their back." > > Others have questioned the governing body's motivation. > > "I pose a question" for the I.A.A.F., said Robert Gailey, an > associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Miami > Medical School, who has studied amputee runners. "Are they looking > at not having an unfair advantage? Or are they discriminating > because of the purity of the Olympics, because they don't want to > see a disabled man line up against an able-bodied man for fear > that if the person who doesn't have the perfect body wins, what > does that say about the image of man?" > > According to Gailey, a prosthetic leg returns only about 80 > percent of the energy absorbed in each stride, while a natural leg > returns up to 240 percent, providing much more spring. > > "There is no science that he has an advantage, only that he is > competing at a disadvantage," Gailey, who has served as an > official in disabled sports, said of Pistorius. > > Foremost among the I.A.A.F.'s concerns is that Pistorius's > prosthetic limbs may make him taller than he would have been on > natural legs and may unfairly lengthen his stride, allowing him to > lower his best times by several seconds in the past three years, > while most elite sprinters improve by hundredths of a second. > > "The rule book says a foot has to be in contact with the starting > block," Leon Fleiser, a general manager of the South African > Olympic Committee, said. "What is the definition of a foot? Is a > prosthetic device a foot, or is it an actual foot?" > > I.A.A.F. officials have also expressed concern that Pistorius > could topple over, obstructing others or injuring himself and > fellow competitors. Some also fear that, without limits on > technological aids, able-bodied runners could begin wearing > carbon-fiber plates or other unsuitably springy devices in their > shoes. > > Among ethicists, Pistorius's success has spurred talk of > "transhumans" and "cyborgs." Some note that athletes already > modify themselves in a number of ways, including baseball sluggers > who undergo laser eye surgery to enhance their vision and pitchers > who have elbow reconstruction using sturdier ligaments from > elsewhere in the body. At least three disabled athletes have > competed in the Summer Olympics: George Eyser, an American, won a > gold medal in gymnastics while competing on a wooden leg at the > 1904 Games in St. Louis; Neroli Fairhall, a paraplegic from New > Zealand, competed in archery in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles; > and Marla Runyan, a legally blind runner from the United States, > competed in the 1,500 meters at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. But > Pistorius would be the first amputee to compete in a track event, > international officials said. > > A sobering question was posed recently on the Web site of the > Connecticut-based Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. > "Given the arms race nature of competition," will technological > advantages cause "athletes to do something as seemingly radical as > having their healthy natural limbs replaced by artificial ones?" > wrote George Dvorsky, a member of the institute's board of > directors. "Is it self-mutilation when you're getting a better > limb?" > > Limits and Accommodations > > Historically, the I.A.A.F. has placed limits on devices that > assist athletes. It prohibits an array of performance-enhancing > drugs. And it does not allow wheelchair athletes into the Olympic > marathon, given that wheels provide a clear advantage in speed. > > But the governing body has also embraced technological advances. > For instance, it permits athletes to sleep in tent-like devices > designed to simulate high altitude and increase oxygen-carrying > capacity. > > As disabled athletes improve their performances, the I.A.A.F. is > certain to be faced with more decisions about accommodating them. > Last February, Jeff Skiba, who has one leg amputated below the > knee, competed in the high jump at the United States indoor track > and field championships. > > Some I.A.A.F. officials say Pistorius's application should not be > treated dismissively. Although he would not be considered a medal > candidate, his appearance at the Beijing Games could provide an > inspiring story. > > "There is no real grounds to say he should not be allowed to > compete" in the Olympics, said Juan Manuel Alonso of Spain, who > heads the I.A.A.F.'s medical and antidoping commission. "We'd like > to have more information and biomechanical studies." > > His own fear, Pistorius said, is that the governing body, which > has not contacted him, will ban him on supposition, not science. > > "I think they're afraid to do the research," Pistorius, a business > student at the University of Pretoria, said. "They're afraid of > what they're going to find, that I don't have an advantage and > they'll have to let me compete." > > Pistorius, whose stated height is 6 feet 1 < inches while wearing > his sprinting prosthetics, says that the devices are within an > allowed range determined by the length of his thighs. The peak > length of his stride, he said, is 9 feet, not 13 feet as some > I.A.A.F. officials suggest. > > There are many disadvantages to sprinting on carbon-fiber legs, > Pistorius and his coach said. After a cumbersome start, he needs > about 30 meters to gain his rhythm. His knees do not flex as > readily, limiting his power output. His grip can be unsure in the > rain. And when he runs into a headwind or grows fatigued, he must > fight rotational forces that turn his prosthetic devices sideways, > said Ampie Louw, who coaches Pistorius. > > "The I.A.A.F. has got no clue about disabled sport," said Louw, > who has coached Pistorius since 2003. > > Insufficient credit is given to Pistorius's resolve in the weight > room and on the track, Louw said, describing one intense workout > that requires him to run 350 meters in 42 seconds; 300 meters in > 34.6 seconds; 200 meters in 22 seconds and 150 meters in 15.4 > seconds. "The kid is a born champion," Louw said. "He doesn't > settle for second best." > > Having worn prosthetics since infancy, Pistorius did not have to > adjust to artificial legs after he began competing, as many > disabled athletes do. He won a gold medal in the 200 at the 2004 > Paralympics in Athens. > > "These have always been my legs," he said. "I train harder than > other guys, eat better, sleep better and wake up thinking about > athletics. I think that's probably why I'm a bit of an exception." > > One who is attempting to broaden the definition of an Olympic > athlete. > > "You have two competing issues fair competition and basic human > rights to compete," said Angela Schneider, a sports ethicist at > the University of Western Ontario and a 1984 Olympic silver > medalist in rowing. > > The I.A.A.F. must objectively define when prosthetic devices "go > from therapy to enhancement," Schneider said. The danger of acting > hastily, she said, is "you deny a guy's struggle against all odds > one of the fundamental principles of the Olympics." > > Source: NYT > ________________________________________________________________ > > For more disability news issues, see: > http://www.aapd.com/News/disability/indexdisability.php > > # # # > > MODERATOR, Anne Sommers, JUSTICE FOR ALL -- A Service of the > American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). To > contact Anne, please email her at [EMAIL PROTECTED] To > respond to a JFA alert or to submit an article, please see > http://www.aapd.com/JFA/JFAcontent.html. > > DISCLAIMER: The JFA Listserv is designed to share information > of interest to people with disabilities and promote dialogue > in the disability community. Information circulated does not > necessarily express the views of AAPD. The JFA Listserv is > non-partisan. > > JFA ARCHIVES: All JFA postings from 1995 to present are > available at: http://www.jfanow.org/jfanow/ > > JOIN AAPD! There's strength in numbers! Be a part of a national > coalition of people with disabilities and join AAPD today at > http://www.aapd.com. > > Justice-For-All FREE Subscriptions > To subscribe or unsubscribe, > send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with subscribe justice OR unsubscribe justice > in the body of your email message. > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
