Blade Runner

He had to fight to run. After being banned by IAAF from running against able bodied runners in the Beijing Olympics, he appealed his case and has finally won.

A double amputee sprinter has won the right to be eligible to compete at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing after sport's highest court backed his appeal against a ban imposed by athletics authorities.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that South African Oscar Pistorius, who runs on prosthetic blades, is eligible to compete against able-bodied athletes.

Pistorius was born without fibulas -- the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle -- and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee

Pistorius, 21,, runs on shock-absorbing carbon-fiber prosthetics that resemble bent skis -- earning him the nickname "Blade Runner."

Pistorius, a Paralympic Games champion and world record holder, had lobbied the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to allow him to compete at the Olympics this August, but after extensive tests the IAAF ruled in January that his J-shaped prosthetics qualify as technical aids, which are banned in IAAF-governed sports.

The IAAF does allow athletes with prosthetics to compete in able-bodied sports, as long as the IAAF believes they do not give the athlete an unfair edge.

But Friday's ruling by the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland, overturned that verdict. Appeals of court decisions are allowed, but on very limited grounds.

The South African won gold in the 200 meters, and bronze in the 100 meters at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. He holds the Paralympic world records in the 100, 200, and 400 meters.

Since Athens, he has competed in two able-bodied races in which he finished second and last, respectively.

Pistorius will have emphasized to the court the disadvantages he feels he has by running with prosthetics.

"There are disadvantages when it's windy, when its raining, (and) it takes him longer to get up to speed at the start," Riddell said. "He will be hoping that they take everything into consideration and not just rule on how much spring his prosthetic limbs give him."

In November, the IAAF carried out tests on Pistorius over two days at the German Sport University in Cologne to determine if his prosthetics, known as Cheetah limbs, could be considered a technical aid.

A team of more than 10 scientists used high-speed cameras, special equipment to measure ground-reaction forces, and a three-dimensional scanner to record body mass.

The scientists concluded Pistorius was able to run with his prosthetic blades at the same speed as able-bodied sprinters with about 25 percent less energy expenditure. Pistorius' blades gave him an energy return nearly three times higher than the human ankle joint offers in maximum sprinting, they said.

Riddell described Friday's ruling in Pistorius' favor as "groundbreaking," and said it raised questions about the future of paralympic sports.

"What does this do to the future of the Paralympics if he's allowed to run in the able-bodied Olympics? Is he actually doing a disservice to other Paralympic athletes? Does it cheapen the Paralympic Games?" Riddell posed the questions.

First Amputee to Qualify for Beijing Olympics

This is an amazing story of courage and endurance which lead all the way to Beijing Summer Olympics.

If I told you that Natalie Du Toit a swimmer from South Africa has qualified for Olympics you will probably shrug and think "whats the big deal, so have many others". What if you knew she has only one leg and she doesn’t wear a prosthetic leg during competition which makes this that much more amazing.

South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit became the first amputee to qualify for the Olympics. Du Toit, 24, who lost her left leg in an accident when she was hit by a car while riding her scooter in 2001.

She was fourth in the 10-kilometer open-water swim at the world championships Saturday in Seville, Spain. The top 10 swimmers qualified for Beijing. Du Toit finished in 2 hours 2 minutes 7.8 seconds. She was 5.1 seconds behind winner Larisa Ilchenko of Russia.

"I think this is the first time I've ever cried after a swim because it means so much,"said Du Toit. We can understand the significance of the moment for her and the message she is sending out to the world.

Other disabled athletes have competed in the Summer Olympics. Marla Runyan, a legally blind runner, competed for the U.S. team at the 2000 Sydney Games. New Zealand archer Neroli Fairhall was the first paraplegic to compete in the Olympics in 1984.

Another South African, sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who is a double amputee, is also trying to qualify for the Olympics. He has been banned from competing because his carbon-fiber blades are deemed to give him an advantage. He has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In 2002, Du Toit was the first amputee to swim in the finals of a major championship. She just missed qualifying for the 2004 Athens Games and went on to win five golds and a silver in the Paralympics.

Good luck girl, Way to go.

No Olympics boycott-Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, said on Friday he did not support a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Asked on NBC "Nightly News" whether he wanted the world to boycott the Olympics this summer, the Dalai Lama replied, "No."

Asked if he wanted the United States and other world leaders to boycott the opening ceremony in support of Tibet, he replied, "That's up to them."

"It is very important to make clear, not only just the Tibet case. But in China proper, the report of human right is poor. And their freedom, also very poor," the Dalai Lama said.

Asked what his message to China was, he said: "My main point is: We are not against you. And I'm not seeking separation.'"

China blames the Dalai Lama for orchestrating monk-led protests in Tibet last month that later turned violent as part of a campaign for independence.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, denies involvement.

The European Parliament has urged European Union leaders to boycott the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympic Games unless China starts talks with the Dalai Lama over the situation in Tibet.

In Washington, the US House of Representatives has passed a resolution urging China to open dialogs with the Dalai Lama, end a crackdown on nonviolent Tibetan protesters and halt repression in the region.

Demonstrations against China's suppression of Tibetan protests have followed the progress of the Olympic flame in Europe, the United States and Latin America, prompting a nationalist backlash from China's authorities and media.

Olympic torch put out

Protests over China's crackdown on Tibet forced organisers in Paris to put the Olympic torch on a bus on Monday to protect it from demonstrators. Security officials extinguished the Olympic torch amid heavy protests.

Despite massive security, at least two activists got within almost an arm's length of the flame before they were grabbed by police. Officers tackled many protesters and carried off some of them. A protester threw water at the torch but failed to extinguish it and was also taken away.

Police escorted the flame onto a bus, apparently to move it away from protesters. The flame was being carried out of a Paris traffic tunnel by an athlete in a wheelchair when it was stopped because protesters booed and began chanting ‘Tibet’.

It was the second time Monday that officials extinguished the torch amid protests. The procession was apparently being continued on board a bus.


"Boycott Chinese goods" and "Save Tibet" read some of the banners held by the demonstrators, watched by police in riot gear and prevented by barriers from getting near the course.

"We are doing our best but it will take the world to put pressure on China to help bring democracy and human rights to Tibet," said Phurbu Dolker, a 21-year-old Tibetan refugee.

Thousands of protesters waving Tibetan flags and shouting "Shame on China" tried to disrupt the torch's run through London on Sunday, the British leg of the international relay billed by Beijing as the "harmonious journey".

The Olympic flame is expected to remain a magnet for anti-Chinese protests ahead of the August Games in Beijing. The flame is due to return to Beijing on Aug. 6, two days before it will be used to light the cauldron at the Olympic opening ceremony.

Chinese Reaction

China has condemned the demonstrations that disrupted the Olympic torch relay in London. An official quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency described it as "vile behaviour".

People in Beijing also gave their reaction. "If they have some political appeals, they can express it in other ways," said one man. "Instead they create some a disturbance to the Olympic torch relay. I don't agree with the way they did it."

Another resident said: "I think a small group of people are trying to create some disturbances and affect the unity of the Chinese people, making use of the Olympics, as they know the games grab world attention."

Commentators say the flame is expected to remain a magnet for anti-Chinese protests ahead of the Games.