Oscar cleared to compete for Olympic place

Disabled athlete Oscar Pistorius has won his appeal against a decision to ban him from competing in the Olympic Games.

Pistorius, a South African double-leg amputee who uses carbon fibre blades to run, will now be eligible to compete for a place alongside non-disabled athletes in the Olympics.

In December, the world governing body for track and field, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), banned Pistorius from competing at the Olympics because it said his prostheses gave him an unfair advantage.

Pistorius took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has ruled that not enough is currently known scientifically to be able to prove that he obtains an advantage from the use of the prostheses. It cleared him to run in competitions staged under IAAF rules, including the Olympics.

Lamine Diack, president of the IAAF, said: "The IAAF accepts the decision of CAS and Oscar will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer. He is an inspirational man and we look forward to admiring his achievements in the future."

Picture by Ossur