Olympics: Sally Jenkins Discusses Amputee Sprinter

Post columnist Sally Jenkins will be online Friday, May 16 at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the case of Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter who has been ruled eligible to compete for a spot on the South African Olympic team.

Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

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Arlington, Va.: This case has had running message boards all atwitter for months. If having prothetics clearly designed for a mechanical advantage while running is acceptable, where does the line get drawn now? Could an amputee be fitted with fins for swimming, or an oversized, webbed hand? I don't mean to be callous towards amputees, but those examples are perfectly analogous to this situation. He doesn't need those special prothetics to live a full life -- they clearly are designed to provide an advantage on the track. Could bionics be the new post-doping controversy of the 21st century?

Sally Jenkins: First, you mis-state the ruling. According to the decision, the blades are not an advantage, that's exactly what they heard testimony about and deliberated on. Each side presented expert witnesses pro and con, and CASS in the end could not discern an advantage. And don't forget, he doesn't just wear them "while running," he wears them in order to run at all. And you're also ignoring that he has to train the rest of his body as well, this is not someone who just slaps on a convenient apparatus and breaks into a sprint. It's remarkable what he's done. AS for your remark that he doesn't need these things to live a full life, speak for yourself, not him. I'm not sure what you or any of us know about that?

You do raise one good question: where is the line between natural and artifical? These blades are completely mechanical, and yet CASS has been famous for rejecting any appeals by athletes who were caught swallowing a substance in order to recover from an injury. I find this fascinating.

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Chicago: I appreciate that Pistorius isn't good enough to win at Beijing, but technology is advancing quickly enough that pretty soon athletes with articifial limbs/implants will be beating athletes with "natural" bodies. How is that any different than using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs? Sure I wouldn't trade places with a double amputee for a second, but seriously -- if somebody can compete with such enhancements, the competition is unfair.

Sally Jenkins: I'm amazed at how fearful people are that some day soon an amputee might beat a whole-bodied competitor. Exactly what is the horrible consequence of that?? Pistorius is surely one of the great athletes on the face of the earth, all these contraptions apparently do is enable him to get to the start line. CASS clearly stated that they merely level the playing field for him. This fixation on "natural" is a little neurotic, at least in my opinion. What's unnatural is the level at which any Olympic quality athlete has to train, what a body goes through to run in the Games.

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Pittsburgh: Personally, I think it is great that they are allowing him to proceed with the qualifying rounds. He still needs to be an exceptional athlete to even be an alternate, let alone qualify outright. I understand people's concerns about mechanical advantage and the slippery slope, but I can't imagine people opting to be in his "shoes" over their own. As far as cybernetic enhancements, even the bleeding edge of biotechnology is only just getting past the prototype phase, let alone use in any competitive sense. People should be more worried about the here-and-now issue of doping, rather than the Olympic Games of 2036.

Sally Jenkins: Interesting comment. To me the slippery slope is not about mechanics. The slippery slope is, how is it different from an athlete who uses medicine in order to recover so as to be able to get to the start line? How are these blades different from, say, asthma medication?

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L'enfant Terrible: Given two equal athletes with prosthetic legs, does the one with prosthetics that are slightly longer have an advantage over the other? What is the "correct" length for a prosthetic limb? What if the prosthetics have different weights? What if other physical characteristics are different -- must the governing bodies then regulate such equipment, much as the R&A regulates golf clubs and balls? It strikes me as a slippery slope that it is best not to travel, though the spectacle would be fascinating and heart-warming.

Sally Jenkins: See? This is going to be a really good discussion in the coming months.

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Charlottesville, Va.: Do you know what the amputee runner's 400-meter times have been? Would he be competitive for a medal in the games?

Sally Jenkins: My understanding is he holds the paraolympic world record at 46.65 seconds. He's merely won the right to try to qualify for the Olympics, which will probably require a time of 45.55 or better. And even he suspects probably won't be able to, because he's spent so much time on the legal fight that he's not in great shape. He's aiming more for London 2012. But he might be able to compete in the relay -- he can be chosen by South Africa for its relay squad without having to log a qualifying time.

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Bethesda, Md.: Is this ruling surprising? In the tech-heavy sport of cycling, the international governing body is very conservative about approving new technologies for official competition. My sense of the Court of Arbitration for Sport is that they're usually a traditional group as well.

Sally Jenkins: I'm shocked by this ruling, for the reasons you state. I assumed they would reject his appeal because they just didn't want to open the door to debates about artificiality. To me, the decision begs more questions than it answers -- and frankly I think that's good. It's about time we admitted that we don't have all the answers, ethically, on the subject of natural versus "unnatural" performance.

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How are these blades different from, say, asthma medication?: As an asthmatic, I can tell you that I don't need the blades to help me breathe. The asthma medicine I do need to help me breathe.

Sally Jenkins: Yes, but without the blades he can't even stand at the start line. Again, CASS has ruled that they provide him no competitive advantage. They merely allow him to move.

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Washington: I don't see the big deal about this case. We have the science to determine whether a natural limb is superior or inferior to a mechanical replacement; if the mechanical device is equal to or less than the natural limb, what's the big deal? The question, though, is how to gauge that equivalence. If I ran 400 meters today as fast as I could, my calf muscles would be at one level of fitness; if I trained like an Olympic athlete for two months and then ran another 400 meters, I would run it much faster and my calf muscles would be at a different level of fitness.

Pistorius's blades don't need to "get in shape." Are they already in Olympic shape, and he just needs to get the rest of his body there? How can we measure that? Is it unfair to allow a competitor to buy "parts" that are already in Olympic shape (and won't tire during the competition)? I don't think these questions are so tough that he should be excluded; instead it's just a matter of using the right science and analysis.

Sally Jenkins: I'm posting this because it's such an interesting point.

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Arlington, Va.: You imply that the CASS decision is tantamount to scientific proof, but their decision really was no more or less scientific than a civil jury's decision in court. Just because one group of scientists was more convincing than another group of scientists doesn't mean they were right. As far as I can see, CASS really just punted the issue. Maybe they aren't the right body to make such a decision, but the issue just seems impossibly complex -- we are talking about a sport in which a world record was reversed because the runner was wearing Puma "Brush Spikes," but now space-age composite springs are okay, at least on a case-by-case basis. It just seems like a very odd turn of events. Track and field always has been wrapped up in regulations, but they are going to have to essentially rewrite the book for this.

Sally Jenkins: Well, I wouldn't say they "punted." They surely knew they were going to open a huge can of controversy with the ruling. Again, it provokes more questions than answers, including the ones you raise and perhaps that was the intention. Complexity is exactly the word. The truth is, modern composites and technologies have altered just about every sport you can think of, from pole vaulting to (especially) golf. If you want to see an artificial enhancement that's utterly distorted a sport, just pick up a Calloway driver.

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Kansas City, Kan.: At what point is a prosthetic leg advantageous in the sport of running? How do you define that? How about high jump? Surely there's a prosthetic that can provide more lift than humanly possible, but what is humanly possible? ... The current world record?

Sally Jenkins: Good questions.

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Washington's "get in shape" comment: is, I think, the reason why this is such a big deal. It's not a huge advantage -- regardless, a runner on blades at the professional level still has to have immense cardio capability -- but other Olympic-caliber runners have to fear injury, which can take months to come back from in some cases. A blade can be replaced immediately if damaged. It seems to make the playing field a little uneven, even if no one would trade places with him.

Sally Jenkins: Another interesting point, whether you agree or disagree.

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Saffer: He won't win -- his fastest time (Paralympic world record of 46:56) does not meet the Olympic qualifying standard (45:55). The man is a tremendous athlete -- and yes, an inspiration to many -- but to say he should go to the games in place of faster athletes is just not right. South Africa selectors probably will pick him as an alternate for the 1,600-meter relay squad, possibly taking the spot of a faster athlete, which is the real issue here.

Sally Jenkins: I'm not sure anyone is saying he should go to the Games. I think all that's happened here is that he'll be able to compete for a spot, and the likelihood seems to be that the South African team might choose him as an alterate for the 1,600 relay. Again, folks seem to be concerned that Pistorius will somehow unfairly supplant another athlete.

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Washington: I think the difference with asthma medication is that sometimes it allegedly has been used to enhance performance. In other words, instead of the medication bringing a person's respiratory system to a normal level of functioning, it brings it to a "super" level. So, the same sort of analysis that applied to these blades should apply to medications.

Sally Jenkins: And another thing to think about.

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Charlottesville, Va.: It seems unfair to the other athletes that they could endure a lot of suffering in training for years, and then be denied a medal because another athlete has gained an advantage through technology. I don't believe for a second that science is able to definitively say whether an athlete's artificial limbs give an advantage or not. Do the artificial limbs tire, need glucose for nourishment, have pulled muscles? What about the smaller amount of weight that the legs have to propel? The Washington Post article did not mention factors such as these.

Sally Jenkins: Once again, CASS whether rightly or wrongly has ruled that the blades are not an "advantage." Your point about tiring is interesting and I haven't heard it answered, though I suspect that the rest of him gets pretty tired too. Running the 400 isn't just about your calves.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I'm sorry, but as someone who ran track competitively for years, I can't see how this is not an unfair advantage. He doesn't have to worry about toe, arch, ankle, achilles, shin or calf injuries. All those other runners have to train through those injuries or, more importantly, lay off in order to heal those injuries. If this is not an advantage for him, then steroids is not an advantage for Roger Clemens.

Sally Jenkins: Ahh,. the gift of clarity. I wish I had it.

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Pittsburgh: I don't think there is a particularly big difference between the prosthetic legs and the medication for athsma. Athletes have been using specialized shoes, swimsuits, bikes, braces for their joints, etc., and this doesn't particularly concern anyone. I think the nervousness people are expressing is a symptom of the fact that "the future" is now, and what was once fiction is now very close to reality. Though, if he were planning on running on old-style wooden pegs, it wouldn't even be an issue.

Sally Jenkins: Yet another very succinct opinion, and one I tend to agree with. When it comes to golf clubs or the composite elements of bicycles, or second-skin swimsuits, we accept performance enhancement. But if the technological advances can't be firmly separated from the human body, it seems to provoke a certain amount of anxiety.

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Rhode Island: Hi Sally. I'm a big admirer of your work, but I have to say, you sounded a bit defensive answering the first couple of questions here. I think it's a fascinating debate on its own merits, with no disrespect meant to Pistorius (or any other athlete who overcomes a disability). This case reminds me of the golfer whose name escapes me now -- Casey someone -- who has a circulatory problem in his leg and needs a golf cart to get around the course. The debate centered around how much of an advantage he had by not being required to walk the length of the course. More of a comment than a question, I guess, but I've been following this case with great interest and am looking forward to other comments in this chat.

Sally Jenkins: Not defensive, just sort of taken aback by the extent to which people assume that Pistorius doesn't "need" these blades, or need to compete at this level. And the suggest that he shouldn't be allowed to even explore the question of how he'd fare against whole-bodied athletes. My experience is that great athletes "need" to compete for their fulfillment, its a calling, it's what they feel they're made to do. They're seeking a kind of completion. I'm not sure we should deny that to Pistorius, that's all.

As for the golf case, it's the first thing I thought of. In that instance, a disabled golfer was seeking to compete in the highest level of tournament golf by riding in a cart. The question was whether walking was an essential part of the trial of golf. It is, at least in my opinion, and riding in a cart doesn't constitute tournament golf. Fatigue is a big factor in decision making, for instance. This case is similar, and yet not: Pistorius isn't seeking a free lift to the finish line in a cart. He's not seeking to run a shorter distance than anyone else. On the other hand, is it possible that the blades save him some fatigue?

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Chicago: Sorry, but this ruling just further confuses me as to what is acceptable in training. If he can use these prothetics because they don't provide a competitive advantage, then why can speedskaters use the new clap skates? Why can swimmers use the new one-piece suits? Why can cyclists use high-tech composite fiber bikes and wheel frames? Don't those provide competitive advantage over earlier models? I'm not threatened by an amputee who's successful -- contrary to your insinuation -- but I'm genuinely unable to define now what's acceptable and what's cheating.

Sally Jenkins: I agree with you. But then, I couldn't clearly define cheating even before this ruling. I've always found it difficult to parse these artificial-natural issues.

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Bethesda, Md.: Why can't people be happy that technology has taken us this far? No one would have even cared if this runner were not fast enough to challenge able-bodied runners. It seems that now that he is, he must have unfair advantages...

Sally Jenkins: Yet another interesting take.

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Minneapolis: I'm surprised that none of the commentors seems to have considered the injuries, difficulties and setbacks one experiences using prosthetic limbs to get around -- not to mention competing at an Olympic level. I, for one, am not 100 percent sure what all of them are, but I do know it's not all sunshine and roses using prosthetics.

Sally Jenkins: It's hard to see how mastering the blades could be easy. It looks like a supreme feat of athleticism.

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Bowie, Md.:"When it comes to golf clubs or the composite elements of bicycles, or second-skin swimsuits, we accept performance enhancement." I'm not firmly in one camp or another, but to be fair, we accept these changes in technology in part because -- at least at the elite level -- most if not all of the athletes competing have the oppurtunity to get these advances. Also, in all of these sports, there is a governing body that decides what level of technology is allowed and what level isn't.

Sally Jenkins: There are profound inequities in what athletes from various parts of the world have access to. The first time you go to the Games and see what some athletes have and what others don't, the illusion of a level playing field is lost forever.

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Re: Silver Spring, Md.: What Silver Spring conveniently chooses to ignore is your comment that Pistorius must get many other muscles in shape that other runners do not have to. So, while he may not have to worry about calf, toe and ankle injuries, I'm certain he has to worry at least about chafing and greater hip risk, among many other issues.

Sally Jenkins: Another point.

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Alexandria, Va.: Your answer that there is no difference between enhanced golf clubs and bikes and enhanced legs is ridiculous. Everyone can avail themselves of the advanced clubs, etc. Only one person (so far) has those specialized legs.

Sally Jenkins: Actually, again, not everyone can avail themselves of to the technologies we're talking about. Scores of athletes around the world don't even have decent running shoes. But that's yet another interesting point: should the fact that the blades aren't available to everyone be a factor in the discussion?

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Vienna, Va.: I think this case is extremely interesting. I know that DARPA (defense research agency) is working to develop an exo-suit for soldiers to enhance physical capabilities. Maybe in the future, there will be two types of competition -- one for "natural" bodies and one for "enhanced" bodies (mechanical, chemical or any other).

Sally Jenkins: Wow.

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Washington: I think many people's concerns about this guy would be alleviated if they saw some film of him running. It's not as if there are other disabled runners slapping on these blades and running great times because they impart some great advantage. This guy just destroys other disabled people (even at the Paralympics) on the track -- it's like watching Kobe Bryant playing hoops against some junior high kids.

Sally Jenkins: This seems like a critical point. He's obviously a superb athletes.

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Washington: On the flip side, and also as a former competitive runner, he faces injury risks that other runners don't have to face -- damage to the areas where the blades attach to his legs, slipping and falling from the less-stable blades, imbalances between his blades and thigh muscles that can lead to injury, etc. But all of this needs to be factored in, and I'm not sure they have done the needed analysis yet.

Sally Jenkins: Without having read the full decision, it's hard to know everything they took into account. But it's hard to believe CASS issued this ruling without hearing a pretty good range of scientific analysis.

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Washington: Among our recovering Iraq vets, there must be a number of up-and-coming American athletes who are similarly situated. Who are some to watch for?

Sally Jenkins: I'm sorry to say I can't answer your question. But you've got me interested in finding out.

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Vienna, Va.: Sally: My first reaction was to disagree with the latest ruling because it's hard to believe this isn't a device that would improve his performance. But then I thought, how many people actually would be affected by this? I can't imagine there are even dozens of paralympic athletes capable of performances of Olympic caliber with some kind of help, are there?

Sally Jenkins: Tells you what a great runner he is. Here's a question: what kind of runner might he have been if he'd been born with his tibias intact? Maybe all the blades allow him to do is find that out. Okay folks, let's leave it on that note. Thanks for the great discussion.

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