ESPN, Nightline & GMA to Air Special Features, Present New Evidence in the Oscar Pistorius Controversy on April 15
Posted April 9th, 2008 at 4:00 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Motivation, Track & Field, Columns, Olympics, SPOTLIGHT
One of the most talked-about sports stories of the past year is the controversy surrounding Oscar Pistorius, the bi-lateral amputee sprinter who is trying to make a bid for the Olympics and is appealing the IAAF’s ruling that he has a technical advantage. Ossur, the maker of those Cheetahs, invites everyone to form their own opinion based on new information as presented by ESPN’s E:60, Good Morning America, Nightline, and ESPN Magazine.
Looking for insights into this game-changing issue that raises scientific, ethical and philosophical questions, and for the past three months, ESPN’s investigative journalists have traveled the globe to learn more. They interviewed Oscar, his family, coach, prosthetist, friends, competitors, lawyers, and Ossur, too. They also interviewed Professor Bruggemann, the German doctor who originally tested him on behalf of the IAAF.
What to see on April 15th:
- Good Morning America will air a segment between 7-9am
- ESPN’s E:60 will broadcast a 10-minute feature between 7-8pm.
- Nightline will look into the story at 11:30pm.
In addition, ESPN Magazine’s April 21st cover story will delve into Oscar’s case.
Background:
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and Professor Bruggemann, who was commissioned by the IAAF to conduct a two day study on Oscar’s running style, say “yes.” Ossur, the maker of those prosthetic feet - the Cheetah - says “no, the study reached conclusions based on insufficient information.” People from all over the world have been following this story with interest. At stake: whether Oscar and all other amputee athletes will be able to compete at IAAF-sanctioned events, and ultimately, on the greatest athletic stage of all, the Olympics.
Oscar has appealed the IAAF’s decision, and the Lausanne-based international Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), will review the case on April 29-30.
More info: What is the difference between passive prosthetics and bionics?
On April 22, ESPN’s E:60, will look into “Bionic Technology and How it Relates to Sports.” It’s important to keep in mind that the Cheetah Flex-Foot is a passive foot and not bionic at all. A bionic foot is artificially intelligent and motor-powered, as opposed to the Cheetah which is a J-shaped high performance carbon composite foot. But will Bionics have their day in sports?
Meanwhile, even though the technology used in the Ossur’s Cheetah Flex-Foot has existed since 1997 - and has not experienced any significant updates since that time - thousands of amputee athletes have used it to compete at an international level of sport over the past decade. In fact, every medalist in the 100m, 200m and 400m races at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens was wearing a Cheetah.
Oscar Pistorius: Related Articles, Interviews & Videos Published on TheFinalSprint.com:
- “Heart, Commitment, Integrity and Faith”
- “Not the Triumph, But the Struggle?
- Video: “IAAF Says No to Amputee’s Blades”
- “Letter from Ossur CEO to IAAF President Lamine Diack”
- Video: “Oscar Pistorius & the Controversy Over the Use of Prosthetics in Competitions”
- “The Fastest Thing on No Legs Gets Even Faster”
- Letter to the Editor from Oscar Pistorius’ Prosthetist
- TFS Podcast 33: “Interview with Brian Frasure; Paralympic Runner and Ossur Prosthetist”
- “Pisorius Sets New WR; Tom Hanks Reportedly Set to Bid on Rights to His Life Story”
- TFS Podcast 16: “Exclusive interview w/ Oscar Pistorius, the Amputee Runner on the Verge of Making History”
- “Paralympic Gold-Medalist Strives for Olympic History”
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Tags: ABC, able bodied, able bodied athletes, advantage, amputee, amputee sprinter, appeal, athletics, Beijing, beijing olympics, bi lateral amputee sprinter, bionic technology, bionics, Cheetah Flex Foot, cheetah flexfoot, cheetahs, controversy, Court of Arbitration for Sport, disney, E:60, ESPN, espn magazine, ESPN’s E:60, evidence, facts, flex foot, flexfoot, gma, good morning america, IAAF, iaaf decision, iaaf sanctioned events, International Association of Athletics Federations, nightline, olympics, opinion, Oscar Pistorius, Paralympic Games, paralympics, passive prosthetics, professor bruggemann, research, South Africa, sports, study
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