FanNation - The Republic of Sport

anybody who thinks this guy shouldnt compete is a 8!+<#. what this guy has been through is incredible. able bodied runners have the advantage of HAVING legs. would you give up your legs for a small advantage. im sure this guy wouldnt. i wish him the best of luck in the olympics and hope he kicks some @$$.

Just considering his blades it sounds like his advantage/disadvantage would change with distance. With his poor start he'd stand no change at 100m. On the other hand wouldn't he do even better at 800m or 1600m?

I know there's more to it. Obviously his personal skill set, independent of the blades, needs to fit whatever race he's in.

I'm glad he's being allowed to run. I admire his work and dealing with so much adversity. However, I do see a valid argument against him running. If there's a real advantage how could it be allowed? I know this is ridiculous, but what if someone "ran" using a jet-pack and roller blades? Surely there is a line, not easy to define, beyond which someone is not competing fairly.

I'm very disappointed with this decision. People are putting too much sentiment into this. Yes, he has admirable drive and a likable person, but that really doesn't have anything to do with fairness of a competition. As in science, as many variables as possible must be minimized in order that the results can be more directly attributable to athletic prowess than anything else. This is why men and women race separately. This is a slippery slope that the Olympic Games are starting down. As prosthetics become lighter and more efficient it won't matter how much able-bodied athletes train, they will essentially be competing against bionic men and women.

If he wins any events, expect a firestorm of controversy. He'll keep his medal, but multiple may be issued and there will be another reversal or major modification (more restrictive) to who is allowed to compete in the games.

My personal opinion on this is going to seem harsh to an athlete who has obviously trained long and hard, but the reason for running these events is to find out who is the best at their given field of competition. Oscar's competing with a man made device tells us how good someone can be when aided by technology. The very fact that science cannot tell us wether or not the prosthetics are are an advantage or a hinderance should give the governing body it's answer to wether or not the results will be viewed as valid by history. Aside from the issue of willful cheating the end results are tainted in much the same way that records set while using steroids. This opinion does not seem fair to the spirit that Oscar has courageously shown, but then everyone is aware that life is not fair.

Life's not fair. Sorry, but it is just totally wrong that someone with man-made springs for legs should be allowed to compete in the Olympics. Yea it sucks that a guy with this kind of drive and heart should be denied, but what about the hundreds of other runners who have worked as hard. The Olympics and any competitive sport is about natural ability. The problem here is not too different from that of blood doping or steroids - it is an unnatural advantage. As admirable as what he's gone through is, there are other outlets for handicapped athletes. It seems that he probably won't qualify anyway, though