Quote:
Originally Posted by shakran
Interesting point, but let's play devil's advocate for a moment. Look at speed skating. They wear a special suit to reduce drag, and their skates are technological wonder of honing and precise length. Swimmers also wear special drag-resistant suits and swim caps. Tennis players use carbon fibre and ceramic framed rackets that are specially designed to enlarge the sweet spot. Boat crews use aerodynamically sculpted boats and specialized oars designed to provide maximum possible propulsion. Skiers use ultra high-tech skis, some of which cost more than the average car, all to give them a competitive advantage.
If you're going to argue that a sport should be solely based on the abilities of the athlete, then we also need to address the technology used by the non-disabled participants as well.
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That's all fine and dandy for those sports, and I don't see anything wrong with those things. However, this one athlete has a technological advantage that no other athlete can access. The same wind-drag technology used by speed skaters is used by track sprinters, although it's typically cut shorter to reduce weight and heat transfer. With the exception of swimming, all the sports you listed require technological assistance to even compete in the first place (i.e. you can't ski without skis).
One other thing of note - currently Pistorious isn't even in the same category as the elite high school athletes in the US. His times aren't there. Male high schoolers are typically .4 to .6 seconds faster than he is, which is an eternity in the 100.