Ludicrosity

Sometimes justice is served, like when Sarah Jessica Parker was named the unsexiest woman on earth (see my last month's post for more details), and other times, like in the case of Oscar Pistorius, justice is robbed.

Oscar was born with a rare bone defect in both legs that required amputation when he was only 11 months old. When he turned 18, he began racing competitively in various Paralympic events. He has since gone on to become the fastest double-amputee in the world. At 21, he is currently the world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. Known as the blade runner, he runs with the aid of two carbon fibre artificial legs, called cheetahs. Here is a portion of a profile done on him:



Amazing, I know!! Anyway, the follow up to this story is that the IAAF has ruled that Oscar is not allowed to race against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics or in any other IAAF sanctioned event because, get this, he has an unfair advantage!!!! Really? Since when did not having calves or feet become an "advantage" for a sprinter? Look, I'm sure the day may come when science can actually improve on our natural physiology, but until I see other sprinters considering chopping their own legs off so that they can run faster, I think Oscar should be allowed to compete against people who have the "disadvantage" of having two legs.

So just to clarify the IAAF's position on things, a man who gets a sex change can compete against women in the Olympics, but a man who loses his legs to amputation cannot compete against other able-bodied men? The kind of stupidity it takes to reach these conclusions is truly breathtaking.