Oscar Pistorius, who have been competing with olympic athletes, is trying to be the first paralympic athlete to participate in the olympic games. But perhaps this dream will have to wait to be accomplished.

The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) received the results from an independent scientific study done by Professor Peter Brüggemann, from Cologne University, Germany. On this study, he did a biomechanical and physiological analysis of the long sprint running of the double bellow knee amputated South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, which uses bellow knee carbon fiber prosthetics. He also compared the athlete performance with other able body athletes capable of similar levels of performance on 400m. The tests were taken on past mid November at the Institute of Biomechanics and Orthopaedics, to investigate if the prosthetics used by the athlete should be considered as technical aids and would give him advantages compared with the other athletes that do not use them, going agains the rule 144.2 of IAAF.

According with the study, an athlete using a prosthetics is capable to run in the same velocity of other athletes with less energy consumption, therefore, an economy of 25%. The IAAF council was able to analyze the complete report and decided that the prosthetic blades known as “cheetahs”, should be  considered as technical aids, and a clear violation to the rule 144.2. As a result, Oscar Pistorius is not eligible to compete on events organized under the IAAF rules.

On a official position statement, the International Paralympic Committee – IPC announced that:

• Oscar Pistorius is seeking a new competitive horizon and these aspirations have propelled him into competition with some of the fastest athletes in the world

• recognize the right of Oscar and all other athletes to question the rules and regulations that impact their performance;

• After receiving and reviewing the official report, the IPC acknowledges the scientific validity of the tests conducted and the outcome of the research project. However, the use of an assistive device should not only be considered in solely biomechanical terms. It is recommended that further investigations take into consideration other aspects such as an examination of the energy loss or generation of the corresponding knee and hip joints as well as the impact of the amputation site contact with the prostheses.

• The IPC acknowledges the autonomy of the IAAF to interpret and make decisions impacting their federation’s competitions based on their initiative to obtain these results.

• recognizes that each International Sport Federation has the right to define the eligibility and sport equipment rules governing its competitions, including the Olympic Games, to ensure fair competition for all athletes.

• However, equipment plays a critical role in many sports. Equipment evolves and it is the responsibility of international federations like the IPC and the IAAF to stay abreast of these developments.

For further information on this case, please visit the IAAF website at www.iaaf.org or IPC website at www.paralympic.org