Comments on: Scientist Smackdown: Are a Sprinter's Prostethic Legs an Unfair Advantage?

By: Maricruz Isidoro

Maricruz Isidoro — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:34:27 +0000

Where is this blog’s contact us section because i cant seem to locate the page, maybe you might want to make it more easily viewable.

By: megan

megan — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 05:25:54 +0000

Simple logic, would those WITH prostheses have been or were near to record breaking speeds BEFORE losing their biological limbs? If not then it’s not fair. We might as well allow natural hormone enhancements for those disabled from low testosterone or too high body fat. The sports that do allow that state it than force competition between unequal participants. (ie Bodybuilding)

By: Jockaira

Jockaira — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:28:41 +0000

Angie nailed it!

I don’t believe there were or are rules that prohibit an amputee from competing with the “able-bodied” and that’s how it should be. So long as Pistorius or any other athete can run only on his own muscle power and human determination, there is no rational reason to keep him out of the race.

By: Angie

Angie — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:56:21 +0000

If he is better than all the other runners, and obviously he is, just let him win. I think people are just furious with his success, because a guy with no legs was faster than them. But you know what? That´s life. Sometimes the most unexpected thing happens and you have to get adapted to whatever it is. Get used to it. Isn´t it only fair to let him win, when he actually is faster? The other guys can go on a diet and lose some weight that way, if they consider the whole matter unfair.

By: Nick W

Nick W — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:13:58 +0000

Stan Wright, if you’re poor enough to consider cutting your legs off for sprinting success, chances are you can’t afford £15,000 carbon fibre blades to strap on the end of your new stumps…

It’s also worth bearing in mind that Pistorious has been a double-leg amputee since he was something like 11 months old. I don’t know that someone could adapt to amputation in their teens and come back to be fitter than they were; it’s not a risk many would take.

As for the topic itself, the evidence that the blades offer an advantage is compelling enough to me that I believe he shouldn’t be allowed to compete with non-amputees. It takes nothing away from his hard work or talent, but it’s not a level playing field.

By: aHahn

aHahn — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:31:36 +0000

@ Qbsmd~ Part of the problem is the prosthese themselves. As many know, they are made for each indivigual amputee, and as a result, the system an amputee wears is coustom to their body (residual limb size and length, body wieght, height, etc.). This makes it very hard to simply ask an amputee to “add weight” to their prosthesis, or to change their chosen system to something completly new. There is actually a “window of opportunity”, so to speak, for an amputee to get used to wearing any type of prosthesis anfter their initial amputation. Generally once an amputee is using a prosthesis, and they have become used to a given system, it can be very hard for thier bodies to accept and/or get used to using a new system. Therefore aksing an athlete, or any amputee, to adjust their prosthesis by adding weight, or making other large adjustments is much easier said than done.

I personally don’t think it’s unfair for the Olympic Comettee or other Olympic governing bodies to not allow Pistorius to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympic level, simply because they are not amputees themselves and therefore do not have access to prostheses. Being a college student studying to be a Prosthetics & Orthotics Practitioner, this is an issue I’m watching closely and one that really is a defining issue for both the sporting and medical communities.

By: MensaJeff

MensaJeff — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:13:06 +0000

Excellent point, Stan Wright.
And, touching on qbsmd’s remark, if technical specs have to be written for prosthetics in competition, there will be no end to the arguments. I’m sure enterprising engineers can create race-winning prosthetics, with Olympic gold as incentive, and that means the rulebook would ultimately decide if prosthetics win or not. How fast do we *allow* them to go? There is no formula to level the playing field; in the end, it’s really apples and oranges.
Hats off to the brave and determined athletes who work so hard to reach their potential, and compete at the highest level they can reach. And a similar salute to the amazing work being done in prosthetics. I think we all recognize and respect what great accomplishments we’re discussing. But, much as an Indy car doesn’t race against a NASCAR stock car, racing for wins and records only makes sense between equal competitors.

By: Stan Wright

Stan Wright — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:37:44 +0000

If you were a promising, two-legged runner – the champion of your barrio – who was hampered only by meat legs of much less than ideal geometry, how poor would you have to be before you’d consider giving them up in exchange for protheses that could overcome this limitation and make you fast enough to win? What if your possible Olympic prowess was your family’s only chance to make it out of poverty?

By: Wesley

Wesley — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:54:19 +0000

Woah woah woah qbsmd. Don’t try making too much sense all at once! They’re not ready for that! lol

By: qbsmd

qbsmd — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:55:29 +0000

I don’t understand why this is a go-no go issue. Since the issue is lighter weight leading to faster leg movement, why can’t the Olympic committee or whoever else just specify a minimum weight (or moment of inertia) for artificial legs to be used in competitions?