Abled, disabled or ultra-abled? That's the question about Oscar Pistorius. The South African sprinter's back in the news again as he pursues a ruling on being able to run against guys with legs. The story above is the NYT's excellent look at the question from back in May. There's a British update from yesterday here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article2903673.ece
Not sure where I come down. Some people are just born with unfair advantages - Indurain and Lance Armstrong aren't normal humans - they have some genetic screw up that makes them superhuman. Same for Yao Ming - abnormally tall. Unfair? Not really.
This guy was born without regular legs and what he's got are prosthetics. Not really that much different from cyclists who are born with super VO2 max, and then capitalize on that by having the better bike than the other guy.
OK maybe not - his legs are metal and springy. But it's an interesting question.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
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