|
|
Post by devogirl on May 16, 2007 9:58:29 GMT -5
Apropos of the discussion in "The Ex" thread about disability going mainstream, the New York Times just ran another article about an amputee athlete who wants to qualify for the regular Olympics: www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/sports/othersports/15runner.htmlThe resistance he is facing by the regulatory board ("What if he falls over and trips someone else?") seems depressingly similar to the kinds of objections to mainstreaming of any kind, and obscures the larger fear, that he might actually win. |
|
|
|
Post by Valkyrja on May 16, 2007 10:26:14 GMT -5
Totally absurd!!... Why the negative?..."2 To falls over and trips someone else" LOL... How can someone think that!!
The article says the board thinks he has a lot of advantage. Did you see the explanation?... how real is that explanation?
|
|
|
|
Post by devogirl on May 16, 2007 10:35:10 GMT -5
Well that is the question: do carbon-fiber legs provide an advantage over natural feet? The article does not provide a non-equivocal answer, and unfortunately, emotional responses to disability seem to be preventing any rational scientific discussion.
|
|
|
|
Post by paralipsis on May 16, 2007 12:06:19 GMT -5
Having been in the paralympic circuit for quite a few years, I would like to throw in my 10 cents worth.
There is actually a potential advantage to the spring action "feet" that this guy is wearing, they have been made out of different kinds of metal and carbon for many years now, and the runners using them have been inching closer and closer to the records of the non-disabled runners. It is just like in the late 80's when the wheelers started having their own category in the big city marathons after they started winning both the men's and the women's overall categories. And the few times it happened was completely chaotic since there would be no money and flowers to the fastest runner. (a treasured memory ;D)
So I think it is fair that he is not allowed to compete in the regular Olympics, just like we were never allowed to race our chairs against the runners. Not because he might win but simply because it is 2 different things, running with your feet and running on highly specialized carbon springs, regardless of where you strap those springs.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ouch on May 16, 2007 18:53:23 GMT -5
Meh, I still think it is BS...especially, the 'what if he trips...' 'concern', what if any of the other runners trip? The concern is either as equally valid with the other runners, or completely invalid for this fellow.
As for runners with prosthetic carbon/steel legs/feet inching close to non-disabled runners, that just makes it sound like they're afraid being beat by a 'cripple'.
I haven't been, and am still not a proponent of segregation...like the famous decision, Brown v. Board of Education in the U.S., seperate is not equal. Something that can clearly be seen when comparing the Olympics and the Paralympics.
|
|
|
|
Post by Valkyrja on May 16, 2007 22:29:04 GMT -5
That was my question, Paralipsis. If a person (no matter man or woman) use that carbon-metal prosthetics can run like an AB, I mean, his/her speed is like the non-disabled runners don't let him/her run sounds like discrimination for me.
And about the Olympics and paralympics... I supposed the best the comitee couls do is to unify all in only just one event with differents disciplines, I mean adding more disciplines. Why there have to be two events and not just one? If you have the throwing hammer (I translated the name this event has here) for men, the throwing hammer for women... why not to add categories that contained disabled?
I think Wind is right. Perhaps they are affraid that a wheelchair runner defeat the AB record (no matter the different category it would be in the same Event... only one Olympic for all)
|
|
