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SPORTS: OLYMPICS : DISABILITIES : SPORTS: ATHLETES: Oscar'sOlympic Dream May be Dashed

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  • SPORTS: OLYMPICS : DISABILITIES : SPORTS: ATHLETES: Oscar'sOlympic Dream May be Dashed

    SPORTS: OLYMPICS :
    DISABILITIES :
    SPORTS: ATHLETES:
    Oscar's Olympic Dream May be Dashed


    Oscar's Olympic Dream May be Dashed
    June 01, 2007 Edition 1
    The Mercury



    MONTE CARLO: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
    proposed a rule yesterday that would make it impossible for a South
    African amputee sprinter to compete at the Beijing Olympics.

    Oscar Pistorius, 20, wants to run in Beijing, despite having both legs
    amputated below the knee. With high-technology replacement blades attached
    just under his knees, he has set competitive times at national level in
    the 400m, 200m and 100m sprints.

    But IAAF officials consider the blades an artificial aid, and its
    executive council proposed a new rule which would outlaw them. The rule
    would prohibit "use of any technical device that incorporates springs,
    wheels or any other element that provides the user with an advantage over
    another athlete not using such a device".

    The rule was originally meant to ban sophisticated gadgets that
    manufacturers add to the shoes of top athletes. But it would also cover
    the prostheses used by Pistorius.

    That and other proposed rule changes will be submitted to the full IAAF
    congress at its August 22-23 meeting in Japan.


    ----------------------------------------


    The complete article may be read at the URL above.


    This is a link to a prior Net-Gold post regarding this development.


    DISABLITIES :
    SPORTS: TRACK AND FIELD :
    SPORTS: ATHLETES AND ATHLETICS:
    An Amputee Sprinter: Is He Disabled or Too-Abled?



    In late April a prominent sneaker manufacturer filed suit against the
    IAAF International Association of Athletics Federations.


    Sneaker maker files suit over ban on its shoes
    Sunday, April 29, 2007
    By MIKE KERWICK
    STAFF WRITER
    North Jersey.com


    A shorter URL for the above link:




    "Track and field has always embraced innovation," Krafsur said recently .
    "We're jumping with fiberglass poles, not bamboo. We run on very springy
    tracks, not cinders. We run in very sophisticated racing spikes as opposed
    to leather straps like 'Chariots of Fire.' "

    Why can't we compete, Krafsur wonders, with springs in our shoes?

    Banned in races

    As North Jersey runners descend upon Long Branch for the New Jersey
    Marathon this morning, Krafsur is busy waging war with the International
    Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and USA Track and Field
    (USATF). Both organizations prohibit runners from competing in shoes with
    springs.

    Any runner who wins a race governed by either organization's guidelines
    while wearing Spira running shoes is subject to disqualification.

    "I have read about the shoe, but till now it has not come up with regard
    to our New Jersey Marathon," race director Art Castellano wrote in an
    e-mail. "Since we are not a [money] marathon, it may not be a factor, but
    if the USATF is opposed to it and we are under the auspices of that
    organization, we are also opposed to this shoe at this time."

    Other race directors echo that opinion. So Krafsur, a 45-year-old lawyer
    with a size-9 foot, decided it was time to fire back. Earlier this month,
    he filed an antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court, suing the IAAF and
    USATF for $10 million. He believes their policies governing shoes with
    spring technologies have fostered a "restraint of competition." According
    to the lawsuit, "the concern by athletes is so great that most elite
    runners are unwilling to race in Spira footwear."


    ----------------------------------------


    Read more at the URL immediately above.



    Sincerely,
    David Dillard
    Temple University
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
    (215) 204 - 4584
    jwne@temple.edu
    Net-Gold




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