Lausanne, Switzerland - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius Friday won an appeal to compete for a place in the Beijing Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the South African was eligible to race against able-bodied athletes.
Pistorius had gone to CAS to challenge a ban imposed by the international athletics federation IAAF which said the prosthetic blades he uses gives him a mechanical advantage.
The CAS said it was upholding the tunner's appeal and that the IAAF Council's decision "is revoked with immediate effect."
The 21-year-old athlete has been nicknamed Blade Runner because he runs on carbon-fibre blades.
CAS ruled said that on the basis of the evidence submitted by both parties it was "not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of a metabolic advantage in favour of a double-amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot" prosthetic blades.
Pistorius must still reach a qualifying time to run in the 400 metres at the Beijing Games, but could be picked for the South African relay squad without qualifying.
The IAAF had ruled in January that Pistorius was not eligible to compete in any events run by the world body including the Olympics.
Following tests carried out on their behalf, the IAAF said his prosthetic legs gave him mechanical support.
Pistorius gave evidence at last month's CAS hearing after further tests were carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The three-day hearing heard from experts that his blades did not give him an unfair advantage when racing able-bodied rivals.
The CAS panel said the decision related only to the eligibility of Pistorius and his prosthetics and did not apply to the eligibility of other athletes or other models of prosthetic limbs.
It also said it did not rule out the possibility that developments in scientific knowledge and testing procedures might enable the IAAF to prove that the existing Cheetah Flex-Foott model provides Pistorius with an advantage over other athletes.
