Download - Oscar Pistorius competing in the O lympics
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Oscar Pistorius competing in the Olympics
Shannon Calahan
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Oscar Pistorius• Double leg amputee• Competed in 400 meter sprint in 2012• Did not win, but controversy continues
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Why Mediate• Issue needs to be resolved for the future• Provides role model for other amputees• Provides equality
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Flex-Foot Cheetah
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Ban competitors because:
Flex-Foot Cheetah prosthesis• Blades act as springs storing energy• No calf muscles to tire out • “…the carbon fiber blades return around 80 to
90% of the energy they store under compression”(Tucker and Dugas)
• In comparison, for human legs, “…energy return ranges between 30% and 70%”(Tucker and Dugas)
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Ban competitors because:
• Prosthesis is lighter than human leg“Pistorius’s rivals are swinging a lower leg that weighs about 5.7 kilograms, where as his lower leg only weighs 2.4 kilograms”(Eveleth, 1) • Can swing legs faster• Feet are on the ground longer • More time and force on ground results in
more force pushing forward
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Allow Competitors because:• “The reduced weight of his legs does reduce
the amount of energy he needs, but springs do not create energy, they only store it”(Case)
• According to researcher 600 meters minimum distance needed for benefit
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Slower start time because:• Must start in an upright position • Advantage of staying low, “It is easier to
overcome inertia and create momentum, which is the key to good acceleration and to a greater top end speed”(Lee)
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How can we mediate the controversy? • Allow Flex-foot cheetah in specific events if
research shows there is no competitive advantage
• Include an asterisk next to their name and record
• Asterisk is already used and accepted in sports for records in question
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How can we mediate the controversy?
• Additional research for sprints longer than 400 meters
• Additional research would be required for other sporting events and arm amputees
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Works CitedBerkowitz, Brad. "The Sports Asterisk." Examiner.com. Clarit Digital Group LLC, 3 June 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. Case, Ethan. "Oscar Pistorius Olympics Controversy: Why Prosthetic Legs Are Not Likely to Lend an Edge." PolicyMic. Mic Network Inc., Sept. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. Eveleth, Rose. "Does Double-Amputee Oscar Pistorius Have an Unfair Advantage at the 2012 Olympic Games?" Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution, 23 July 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. Lee, Jimson. "Staying Low on a 40 Yard Dash or 100 Meter Start." SpeedEndurancecom. Sport Sites, 31 Jan. 2008. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. Tucker, Ross, and Jonathan Dugas. "The Science of Sport: The Scientific Interpretation of Oscar Pistorius Research." The Science of Sport: The Scientific Interpretation of Oscar Pistorius Research. The Science of Sport, 23 Aug. 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.