Amputee Pistorius barred from Beijing Games

By John Mehaffey

LONDON (Reuters) - South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius, who runs with carbon fiber blades attached to his legs, will not be allowed to compete at this year's Beijing Olympics.

A report commissioned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) released on Monday concluded that the prosthetics used by Pistorius gave him a significant advantage over able-bodied runners.

Last year, the IAAF amended its rules to ban the use of any technical device incorporating springs, wheels "or any other element that provides the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device".

The IAAF's ruling council agreed that Pistorius should not be allowed to run in Beijing or in any other meeting sanctioned by the world governing body.

Pistorius's manager Peet van Zyl told Reuters the athlete would appeal against the decision.

"We are obviously very disappointed with the IAAF decision and we need to talk with them and our legal advisors about how we progress, what we need to do to appeal in terms of the IAAF regulations," Van Zyl said.

A study, carried out by Professor Peter Bruggeman at the German Sport University in Cologne, compared Pistorius with five able-bodied athletes of similar ability.

"Pistorius was able to run with his prosthetic blades at the same speed as the able-bodied sprinters with about 25 percent less energy expenditure," the report concluded.