@dabbler It is important, but it’s no different than the various advantages that other runners have because of peculiarities about their bodies. One thing I find funny about this whole discussion is that no one has stopped calling Pistorious “disabled” as a result of his supposedly advantageous prosthetics, and no one has stopped calling his opponents “able-bodied” as a result of their supposedly disadvantageous natural legs.
Ultimately, I agree with Erik Weihenmayer (the first blind person to climb Mount Everest): “We mustn’t lose sight of what makes an athlete great. It’s too easy to credit Pistorius’ success to technology. Through birth or circumstance, some are given certain gifts, but it’s what one does with those gifts, the hours devoted to training, the desire to be the best, that is at the true heart of a champion.”
Pistorious is no different than any other Olympian. He has spent years training to be the best he can be with the legs he has available. Yes, his legs are designed for running. So are the legs of his competitors. They were simply developed in a different way. Moreover, Pistorious has to train specially to make up for the lack of sensory data and support muscles in his lower extremities.
If a city-state had chosen to send a maimed competitor to the Olympics in ancient Greece, no one would have objected; and if he had won, no one would have complained that he had an unfair advantage. They would have congratulated him for overcoming adversity and claiming victory over his opponents. It is sad that there are people today who do not share this attitude.