Runner Blasts Olympics for Indecision

Amputee sprinter says IAAF should help, not hassle him
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 16, 2007 8:04 AM CDT

Oscar Pistorius, the South African double amputee fighting to run in the 2008 Olympics, finished seventh in a British 400m trial yesterday, and was then disqualified for running out of his lane. But his performance, substantially off his best, wasn't what was bothering him afterwards. Pistorius lashed out at the IAAF for standing in the way of his Beijing dream.

In March the IAFF banned any runner who benefits from artificial help, but they still haven't decided whether his carbon blades constitute an advantage. The delay in a decision is undermining his training, he says, and they haven't even contacted him yet. "The least they could do is give me the chance to fight my fight and work with me and not against me," he told the BBC. (More 2008 Beijing Olympics stories.)

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