A jumper and sprinter are two professional athletes who have stirred up plenty of controversy for their success. They've won many competitions and bested world records, but they're both disabled. Normally, the disability would highlight their success despite adversity. The problem is that we've reached a point where prosthetics might give athletes an unfair advantage.
Markus Rehm and Oscar Pistorius are both famous for their achievements, but perhaps more well known for achieving with prosthetics. They're exceptional athletes, but the question is whether they're exception for their prosthetics and, if so, should we make an exception for them?
An investigation into Oscar Pistorius — known as the "Blade Runner" because of his hooked prosthetic legs (pictured as the article's cover photo) — barred him from competing. On March 26, 2007, the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) altered its rules to ban "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device." This decision was followed by a series of scientific tests.
A professor of biomechanics, Dr. Peter Brüggemann, conducted two days of tests on Pistorius. The report stated his limbs used 25% less energy than natural legs and they required 30% less mechanical for lifting the body vertically. Dr. Brüggemann declared that Pistorius has "considerable advantages over athletes
without prosthetic limbs who were tested by us. It was more than just a
few percentage points. I did not expect it to be so clear."
That would appear to close the case permanently on Pistorius. If his legs do give him a considerable advantage, how can he compete fairly with natural runners? Nevertheless, the decision to ban him was eventually revoked. Further testing and persistent advocating allowed Pistorius to overturn the doctor's findings. Other tests found that Pistorius' limbs did not give him a clear advantage and that if they did, Brüggemann's findings did not account for the unique conditions of a sprinting field or Pistorius' difficulty in starting and stopping.
Similarly, Marcus Rehm is an amazing disabled athlete. He's jumped further than the second longest record. Rehm's record best is 8.40 meters and Tomlinson's is 8.35. The world record is 8.31m. Rehm has also won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, in which he set a world record.
I want to focus more on Rehm because he's a fellow German and not a murderer. The IAAF also investigated Rehm's disability and declared him unfit for this year's Rio Olympics. The German Athletics Association stated: "'With respect to their actual legal situation Rehm will not be nominated by the German Olympic Association to compete in the Olympic Games."
Should Rehm be allowed to compete? Should Brüggemann's findings have been kept? These questions don't have easy answers and, as the technology continues to progress, the issue will only grow more complicated. Shows like "Superhuman" appeal to our interest in the underdog narrative: promising athlete loses limbs, overcomes hurdles of prosthetics, and excels.
It's great that prosthetics are improving, but the rate of progress requires further investigation into how we integrate mechanical parts into our sports.
