As for competiting in regular olympics… I would rather see two different categories, one where all forms of augmentation (chemical, mechanical, ecc) is banned and the sport keeps its truest form, while the other gives athletes carte blanche.
Despite being utopically impossible to enforce (too complicated, costly and damaging) it certainly would put a stop to the bickering… and in a hundred years from now, we would be looking at radically different sports and performances indeed.
Not to mention, the commercial spur might bring quite a lot of money for research in the matter…

Even if Pistorius doesn’t have a vast advantage over the capabilities of an unmodified athlete, it sets a precedent that is bound to turn running into some sort of formula 1 facsimile, complete with it’s own engineers & mechanics cup.

In this specific case (as evidenced by the fact that he doesn’t even qualify) it’s pretty clear the prosthetics confer no advantage. There will be other prosthetics in the future though, but when half the athletes are doping themselves with chemicals, does it even matter? Technically, there already are very few “true” humans in sports.

It still looks very cool when he runs though :)

However… after hearing the argument against it from actual atheletes and sprint runners, I can kind of see his advantage so while I’m still not against him running, I can understand why a lot of people would percieve it as being unfair. It’s actually got nothing to do with whether or not he can run faster or not than legged runners, more on whether or not he’s got a ‘free pass’ through one of the more gruelling training aspects.

Basically, if you’re a sprint runner, your feet and lower legs are very important to you. During your running career, you will frequently get lower leg and feet injuries that you will have to overcome through care and training. It just happens, it’s part of the sport. Taking care of your legs is top priority as they are your prime tools for the job.

From a sprinters PoV, racing against someone who doesn’t have to deal with that whole aspect of the sport pisses them right off, as it’s something they’ve had no choice but to spend their whole atheletic career doing almost ritually.

Of course, this is normally countered with “How dare you! You can’t discriminate against him for that – he’s had no legs his whole life! I think that’s a bit worse than a pulled muscle & a couple of blisters!” which, as is usually the case in things like this, is a wholly different argument that inevitably makes people back down.

Again, I still think he should run, but after hearing that side of the story I must admit my views on the legitimacy of it are a little skewed.

Not really. In this case the argument that his prosthetics are “better than human legs” pretty much elevates him to the level being debated today. The paralympics by and large feature athletes who (yet anyhow) could not competitively compete in the Olympics and in events tailored on some level to their physical condition. The question now is if technology allows for those who normally could not compete a chance to enter the playing field…should they be allowed?

Here you have some saying he has an advantage (not something I agree with…if such was the case I honestly think pro athletes would give up limbs in a heartbeat for technology that allows them to stay competitive) and while he may have an edge on one level he is still human. If anyone has run competitively they know even his prosthetics are only one element of what’s needed to be an effective runner.

“But simmering under all the public discussion is the following insight, perhaps tinged with just a little bit of fear: this is just the beginning. One threshold has been crossed, but it will not be the last.”

I think we already crossed that. Look at the highly questionable training and supplements athletes go through today. I can see the issue raised by this man but given how his competition will more than likely be juiced up on something…I can’t see how he poses any threat not already faced. Caplan is either hopelessly naive or has no modern grasp of what sports are.

No sport today remains “pure”. I see no difference between prosthetics and the high end equipment offered athletes of all types. Be it the slick new swim suits that allow swimmers to cut through the water or the high end sneakers and cleats which allow many to go well beyond what would be possible with a bare foot. This doesn’t even touch the change in materials to everything from socks to headbands that add comfort or benefits.

If Golf could come to terms with technology…any sport can. Plus at the end of the day the prosthetics are not doing the running…the man still has to have the will, desire, and training…and that will always be the core of sports no matter the technology.

Then again, I think the stigma of making fun of handicapped people is a deciding factor in the case of extreme cybernetics… I hope.