But handicapped athletes aren't banned at all.

It's not douchey to say, "LOL, no you can't have gigantic springy contraptions to help improve your time in the running events....and before you ask, you can't have rocket-powered jet-packs in the high jump either."

Speaking of which, would this guy be allowed to compete in other events with his springy artificial limbs? Get these bad boys springy enough and he could kick ass in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.

I said "yes" but the poll is nowhere near as nuanced as it needs to be. It really ought to be "yes, as long as he isn't using anything springy." IIRC he was able to somehow prove that we wasn't getting an advantage from his limbs and got a shot to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, but I have a hard time believing that the limbs don't add something that normal legs can't.

Yeah, but the onus should be on him to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they provide no benefit. Independent tests by IAAF >>>>>>>> tests done by the creator of the springy legs, ainec.

The independent tests showed 20-30% benefit, therefore ban.

When I was temporarily wheelchair stricken last year, I looked up the rules for wheelchair racing. Turns out that you're only able to compete in wheelchair events if you're permanently wheelchair bound. I can understand not letting able-bodied people into the events. But I didn't understand why they wouldn't allow a guy temporarily in a wheelchair in those events.

You could have been a contender. Damn paralytic racists.

I can't imagine someone not permabound to a wheelchair would be able to compete very well in those anyway.

who runs without spikes? on the one hand i get your point: we allow some devices that augment performance; don't think anyone is going to argue that is not that case. however, at the same time no one is going to argue that all methods of performance enhancement are comparable so i don't think your analogy applies

Agreed, which makes the ban of them even more baffling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zola_Budd

Right.

The difference between an average spike and the best one on the market isn't as great as between a normal leg and Pistorius's prosthetic.

How heart wrenching would it be for a paraplegic wheelchair racer to see a dude jump out of his wheelchair and celebrate winning the race by parading around the stadium on functioning legs?

you mean 'awesome,' right?

wrenchingly awesome perhaps?

I was talking about those temporarily wheelchair bound, like people with their leg in a cast.