Paralympics: No punishment for outspoken Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius will face no disciplinary action over his outburst following defeat in the men’s 200 metres final, Paralympic organisers said on Tuesday. Moments after losing to  Brazil’s Alan Oliveira on Sunday, his first 200m defeat in nine years, Pistorius used a post-race interview to question the legitimacy of his defeat. Pistorius, dubbed the “Blade Runner”, suggested that his opponent’s prosthetics were too long which had artificially lengthened his stride, giving him an unfair advantage. [caption id=“attachment_443375” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] “There will be no disciplinary action against Oscar for his comments,” International Paralympic Committee (IPC) director of communications Craig Spence told reporters on Tuesday. Pistorius apologised for the timing of his comments in a statement on Monday, but maintained there was still a fundamental issue about the length of athletes’ prosthetics that needed to be addressed. Pistorius met with Paralympic officials in the immediate aftermath of his defeat when it was decided a further meeting would take place to discuss his concerns. “We decided we needed to go through the official channels rather than just sending an informal text message saying let’s meet,” Spence added. “So we are waiting for the national Paralympic Committee of South Africa to go through the relevant channels and contact the IPC and then a meeting will be set up.” Pistorius, who was defending his 100m, 200m and 400m titles, streaked into an early lead and was almost 10 metres ahead as the athletes came into the home straight but the Brazilian launched a stunning fightback and surged to victory. IPC rules governing the length of prosthetics are determined by a complicated formula that involves measuring from the chest to the amputated limb and the arm span. This is converted into a height prediction and a maximal height is used to assess the length of prosthetics. Immediately after the race, the IPC confirmed that Oliveira’s blades fell within the legal limits. Pistorius continues his Paralympic campaign on Wednesday in the 100m heats, with the 400m and 4x400m relay to follow later in the week. Reuters