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 21-year-old runner's appeal and that the IAAF Council's decision "is revoked with immediate effect."
The ruling was accepted by the IAAF whose president, Lamine Diack, said Pistorius "will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer."
Diack described Pistorius as "an inspirational man and we look forward to admiring his achievements in the future."
Pistorius was born without the fibula in his lower legs and other defects in his feet, ands had to undergo below-the-knee amputations on both legs when he was 11 months old.
He has been nicknamed Blade Runner because of the carbon-fibre blades with which he runs.
He won Paralympics gold over 200m in Athens 2004 and holds the amputee world records in the 100m, 200m and 400m. He frequently runs with able-bodied athletes in his home country.
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 CAS panel in its ruling 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.
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 under the auspices of Professor Peter Brueggemann at the Sportshochschule in Cologne, Germany, the IAAF said his prosthetic legs gave him mechanical support.
In January, Pistorius said in Pretoria where he trains that he was determined to fight the IAAF over its stance.
"I will not stand down," Pistorius said, claiming a responsibility on behalf of disabled athletes to "not allow one organization to inhibit our ability to compete using the very tools without which we simply cannot walk, let alone run."
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 IAAF had based it decision on Rule 144.2 (e) of its competition rules which outlaws the "use of any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device."
Hoewever the CAS panel said the IAAF "did not meet its burden of proof that Rule 144.2 (e) is contravened by Oscar Pistorius."
In a statement, the Monte Carlo-based IAAF said it and Pistorius had co-operated to resolve the issue of whether the blades gave him an advantage in competition.
"While the IAAF has been keen to give Mr Pistorius every opportunity to participate in its events, it had to deal with some concerns that he may be gaining an unfair advantage," it said.
After further evidence CAS had cleared him to run. "The hearing before CAS was conducted in an open, constructive and co-operative fashion with all parties keen to establish the truth," it said.
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.
