Pistorius Persists; IAAF not Swayed

Bilateral amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius claims new tests on his Cheetah Flex Feet prosthetic racing limbs manufactured by Ossur contradict an earlier study which led the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to declare him ineligible for the Olympics. The IAAF, however, doesn't accept the new findings.

"It is one thing when you do a laboratory test where you agree the protocols and witnessing, and another thing when you don't," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies told The Associated Press (AP). "It is really not up to us to judge because we have already made a decision."

Based on tests performed by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, the IAAF ruled in January 2008 that Pistorius is ineligible to run in the Beijing Olympics--or any other sanctioned able-bodied competitions--because Pistorius' running legs have been deemed "technical aids" that give him a clear advantage. But Pistorius commissioned his own tests in February in Houston, Texas, and contends they produced sharply different results, which could boost his chance of competing in Beijing after all.

"I am very optimistic as to the results; they were very positive," Pistorius told the AP in South Africa. "Some were very different to the results from the tests in Germany."

Davies said the IAAF was sticking to the results of the German study.

"We would stand by what Brueggemann did," he said. "And, as we say repeatedly, on the basis that he agreed on that protocol. He witnessed it; we witnessed it. So going offand doing testing--who knows where and who knows what--is not the same."

Pistorius had already appealed the IAAF ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The results of the new tests will form an "integral" part of his case before CAS, said Pistorius' lawyer, Rajen Ranchhoojee. Ranchhoojee declined to say who conducted the new tests or give any details of the results. He said the Pistorius group did not want to jeopardize his appeal, antagonize the court, or create any sense of expectation.

"We have two parties here, and what we need is some objective arbitrators to make a decision," the lawyer said. "They will analyze the tests and make a decision. Whether the tests are done under the IAAF or independently or under the guise of the court doesn't matter. What matters are the results."

The Brueggemann tests found that Pistorius' prostheses gave him a demonstrable mechanical advantage--more than 30 percent--when compared to someone not using the blades. Brueggemann found that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able-bodied runners expending about a quarter less energy.