'Blade Runner' Pistorius to appeal over Olympics veto
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Your support makes all the difference.The "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius is set to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after he was yesterday refused permission to compete in this summer's Olympics.
The International Association of Athletics Federations has barred the double amputee from running in Beijing because his prosthetic legs have been deemed an unfair advantage by an independent scientific investigation.
The IAAF believes there is "overwhelming scientific evidence" that the 21-year-old South African's "Cheetah" blades are technical aids, in contravention of IAAF rules. The association said: "It is evident an athlete using the 'Cheetah' prosthetic is able to run at the same speed as able-bodied athletes with lower energy consumption. Running with prosthetic blades leads to less vertical motion combined with less mechanical work for lifting the body.
"The energy loss in the blade is significantly lower than in the human ankle joints in sprinting at maximum speed. An athlete using this prosthetic blade has a demonstrable advantage (more than 30 per cent) compared to someone not using the blade."
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