Pretorius
Mike,
This 400-meter runner, Pretorius, has two amputated legs, with attachments that allow him to bound down the track like a goosed kangaroo (see movie). The Olympic committee says the prostheses give him an unfair advantage, so they won’t let him compete in the next Olympics. Appatrently his artificial feet do give him an advantage, but if he weren’t so fast, would the Olympic Committee permit him to compete on the grounds that the prostheses didn’t give him an advantage?
–rakkity
Now THERE’S a kicker … But it doesn’t seem that complex to me — men don’t compete against women, disabled don’t compete against fully-advantaged, and so disability-enabled, if I may coin a phrase, could compete in their own right with others of like criteria, with oversight of prostheses within whatever parameters (rowers’ boats to Nascar rods all have such, after all). No?
Comment by el Kib — January 15, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
el Kib is yet again the voice of reason. He could also change his blades for springs and compete against Lee Majors in the Bionic Olympics.
Comment by Jen — January 16, 2008 @ 1:23 pm