In this week's iafrica.com debate, Ebrahim Moolla and Rob Peters discuss the merits of the 'Blade Runner', Oscar Pistorius, competing at the Olympics.

Ebrahim Moolla believes letting Oscar Pistorius compete at future Olympic Games is nothing more than an elaborate marketing scheme. Not to mention cheapening the event as a whole...

This is it. The 2008 Olympic 400m men's final. On the inside lane we have world champion Jeremy Wariner attempt to add to an already crammed trophy cabinet. Young upstart LaShawn Merritt is in the lane outside him, then comes the 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius with the Cheetah Flex 2000. Next to him is Vernon Koekemoer with the new improved Cheetah Flex 3000, and then Robert Downey Jr in his Ironman outfit and that cute meerkat...

Yes, the CAS has overturned the IAAF ruling and 'the fastest man on no legs' will be allowed to compete should he qualify, but it is an argument clouded by sentiment and sets a dangerous precedent.

It isn't a question of whether his enhancements give him an edge or not, although there is plenty of scientific evidence proving that 'Blade Runner' defies physiology, running the lap in a pattern never before seen. We will never have the pleasure of seeing him run an 800m event, because then his advantage would be obvious. We'd all cut off our legs and aim for the podium. Speeding up when his rivals are hitting the wall is one thing, but even if we put that aside, where does it stop? The Cheetah Flex is no ordinary prosthetic and there is every reason to believe they could prove an unfair advantage in the very near future.

Make no mistake ? only the most gullible will believe the 'Blade Runner's claim to represent the entire fraternity of 'challenged' athletes in his quest to compete. Marketing trumps science here ? fat Nike endorsement deals and the natural sympathy of audiences are easily married. With his clean-cut looks and 'triumph over adversity' credentials, Pistorius is a marketing dream, and that's about as much qualification as one needs in this world. Not exactly in the spirit of the five rings either.

Let's face it, the fastest man on no legs would whip Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson with both hands tied behind his back. Blindfolded. Impossible, you say? Well, just think of how the novelty sprinter commands media attention wherever he goes taking away the glamour from more deserving athletes, just like at the much-vaunted Sheffield meeting.

And why was he given extra time to qualify for Beijing? If he wants to play with the able-bodied boys he should play by the same rules. Could it be an attempt by the Chinese to humanise their tarnished image and divert attention from Tibet?

South Africa have had disabled athletes compete against their able-bodied peers but Terence Parkin and Natalie du Toit didn't use supersonic hearing aids or titanium hyper-alloy robotic swimming fins in their respective events

Sorry son, you've had a good run, but it's time to pack away the Olympic blades. "You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have." The problem with such raw idealism is that it often comes up a cropper in the real world.

Rob Peters reckons the 'Blade Runner' should be able to compete if he qualifies. It would be such a unique athletic achievement...

When the hell did we all become so cynical? We used to applaud those who overcome diversity. Now we try our best to demean it. Society has taught us to believe that disabled people are "weak" and "not as good as able-bodied" people and, as a result, should never be able to perform at the same level as that of an able-bodied person.

Well, not without some sort of advantage anyway...

Claiming that a kid with no legs has an advantage over guys who have trained on two legs their entire lives is a damn joke. Telling Oscar Pistorius that he can't race because of his prosthetics is just another way of saying: "Sorry you're not normal, and only normal athletes need apply here."

It is quite simply the sorry state the world currently finds itself in. Instead of allowing disabled athletes to compete against their able-bodied counterparts we prefer to box them into a category we feel fits them best. It's a load of rubbish.

When Oscar came second at the South African Track and Field championships, the guy who came third seemed to think he had to make an excuse as to why he was beaten, like he should never have been beaten by somebody with a disability.

That type of reaction highlights how we see disabled people as being lesser than the rest of us. And you know what, it's pretty sad.

Oscar Pistorius is getting plenty of attention at the moment, and while Ebrahim and his fellow cynics will claim it is because of some feel-good notion that drives the sales of sports products, I cannot think of a more deserving athlete.

When Marion Jones was cleaning up on endorsements, using her 'squeaky-clean image' ? which is now in tatters... ?to rake in the cash, nobody complained. Ditto, for Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and scores of other good-looking athletes, who did the same thing.

But when Pistorius is chosen to appear on television punting a sports drink it's "because he hasn't got legs", not because he is an incredible athlete and somebody we should look up to. It appears ? that to some people anyway ? that due to his disability, Pistorius is not a 'real' athlete and should therefore not be considered as capable.

And for all intensive purposes, the IOC bigwigs, who essentially ended his hopes of qualifying for Beijing when they banned him from competing in able-bodied meets in order to test his prosthetic legs, feel the same way. Here's a thought: why not put a bit more time into testing the able-bodied athletes for drugs? They are the ones with the unfair advantage ? not Pistorius.

And don't speak to me about the sanctity of the Games either, because that has nothing to do with it. There is no dangerous precedent being set by allowing Pistorius to compete. He did not cut off his legs to compete on the 'blades' he now uses. He was born without legs and has worked incredibly hard to overcome the disability to stake his claim ? not as a disabled athlete, nor as an able-bodied athlete, but as an athlete.

  • Should Oscar be allowed to compete? Join the debate by leaving a comment below!