Oscar's appeal being heard

2008-04-29 13:53

Switzerland - Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius began his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday, urging the tribunal to grant him the right to compete at the Beijing Olympics.

The 21-year-old South African arrived with his manager, Peet van Zyl, at the highest sports court, which he is asking to overturn a January ruling by the IAAF that bans him from racing against able-bodied runners.

Pistorius and van Zyl declined to comment before the hearing, which is expected to last two days.

They dispute the IAAF ruling that maintains Pistorius' prosthetic blades give him a competitive advantage.

He finished second in the 400m at the able-bodied South African national championships last year, and has set world records in the 100m, 200m and 400m in Paralympic events.

If the court rules in his favour, Pistorius would still need to qualify for the South African team to race at the Aug. 8-24 games.

Pistorius was born without fibulas - the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.

- AP