BLADERUNNER HEARING DATE SET
Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will find out later this month if his Olympic ban is to be overturned.
The South African, nick-named 'Bladerunner', was banned from able-bodied competition because it is claimed that his prosthetic legs provide him with an unfair advantage, but has taken his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which will hear the case between 29th-30th April.
The 21-year-old, who holds the 100m, 200m and 400m Paralympic world records, wears two distinctive carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs which the IAAF considers to provide him with an unfair advantage.
IAAF regulations, altered in January this year, prevent to use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device," although the IAAF claim that the change is not specifically aimed at Pistorius.
The ban against the South African is based on evidence from studies it commissioned by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who concluded that the prosthetic limbs, also known as "Cheetahs" gave Pistorius an unfair advantage because he uses 25% less energy than an able-bodied runner.
The runner was also subject to IAAF tests at events in Rome and Sheffield in which the governing body pointed to an unusual "pacing strategy."
But Pistorius denies this and has vowed to fight the ban, leading to the forthcoming CAS hearing.
"I am very appreciative of CAS for setting a schedule that will allow a decision in time for me to pursue my goal of qualifying for the Olympics," he said.
"This case is important not just to me, but to all disabled persons who just ask for the chance to compete fairly on the sporting field with able-bodied athletes."
Even if the IAAF decision was overturned, Pistorius would still need to qualify for the South African team to race at the Beijing Olympics.
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