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| Yes | 65% | 20 votes | Total: 31 votes | |
| No | 35% | 11 votes |
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Add to FavoritesShould disabled athletes with prostethic limbs be allowed to compete in sports with able-bodied athletes? I think so.
21-year-old Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter from South Africa, is barred from the Olympics.
The track and field's governing body ruled that he is ineligible to compete this summer in the Beijing Olympics or any other sanctioned able-bodied competitions. Why? Because his racing blades, the prosthetic legs he uses, are aids that give him an unfair advantage over able-bodied competitors.
The International Association of Athletics Federations said that "An athlete using this prosthetic blade has a demonstrable mechanical advantage (more than 30 percent) when compared to someone not using the blade."
The Federations based its decision on a study by a German professor, Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who reported that the Cheetah blades used by Pistorius give an unfair advantage to athletes.
After two days of testing with Pistorius, the professor found that he was able to run at the same speed as able-bodied runners with a quarter less energy.
Pistorius is not looking to use his disability to his advantage. He even refuses to park in handicapped parking spaces.
Pistorius will appeal the decision.
In 2007, Pistorius finished second in the 400 meters at the South African national championships against able-bodied runners. He was allowed to compete until now because his prostheses had not been properly studied yet.
The manufacturer of the Cheetah blades and the International Paralympic Committee both agree that more tests needs to be done.
At the Paralympic events, Pistorius holds the world record for the 100, 200, and 400 meter events. The ruling doesn't affect his participation in the Paralympics.
Pistoriu s was born without the outer bone between the knee and ankle, which caused his legs to be amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. He began running competitively four years ago. Nine months later, he won the 200 meter event at the 2004 Paralympic Games.
What do you think about this decision? Imagine yourself trying to run on these a prosthetic legs, which end in a long, flat, curved strip of metal, like a shoehorn.
Being disabled myself, I'm used to trying to compete against able-bodied people in online games, in trivia games, and even on AC, where the first people (who can type 50-100 words per minute) to write news get published while us slow typers always miss out. It's so frustrating to be slower than able-bodied people.
Many disabled people have a great disadvantage and yet able-bodied people still need to chat to win! Take baseball for example. All of those players, who used steroids to boost their performance, created an unfair advantage.
Unlike able-bodied baseball players that use performance-enhancin g drugs, Pistorius needs prostheses just to stand up and walk. To be fair, the numbers need to be weighed. The disability is a negative number and the prostheses are a positive. Find those two numbers and see how much it differs from the norm. I think it almost balances out, if not makes it a disadvantage, compared to able-bodied athletes.
Learn more about this author, John Gugie.
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No
This is an extremely sensitive subject to be writing on, especially on the "no" side. While disabled athletes are amazing examples of dedication, sportsmanship and courage, there need to be set guidelines in determining competition eligibility. Combining disabled and non disabled athletes could lead to negative affects in the athletic community, as well as lengthy rulings that could hurt everyone.
Many disabled athletes usually use prosthetic aides to help them. In terms of running, prosthetic attachments that consist of curved shock absorbent blades are used. While these take time to get used to, they provide some advantages over natural running. Less energy is used, while more force is delivered to the ground per step, leading to a longer stride. This could lead to advantages for disabled athletes. Look at professional track, especially the Olympics. So much emphasis is put on fair competition. Constant drug testing is done to make sure no athlete is giving them self an unfair advantage. Obviously taking steroids and being disabled are far from the same thing, but they have the same outcome. If a group of athletes were allowed to have an unfair advantage over the rest of the field, it would hurt the competition.
Look at the reverse side of this question. Would it be fair for able-bodied athletes to compete at a competition for disabled-only athletes? There would likely be wide objection to this. If all athletes, disabled or not, are to be treated the same, then anyone from either side should be able to compete at any type of competition. Because it would be in bad taste for able-bodied athletes to start showing up at Special Olympics, this will never work.
Unfortunately, the idea of disabled and able-bodied athletes competing side by side in world class competitions will probably not happen. Instead, there should be a higher emphasis put on the importance of disabled-athletic competitions. The Olympic games should definitely hold competitions for disabled athletes, just not mixed with those who are able bodied. This will help those disabled athletes receive the opportunity and support they deserve.
Learn more about this author, Travis Visco.
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