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From
The AP:
As Oscar Pistorius offered his first defense against a murder charge,
the head of the Paralympics was trying to reassure members Tuesday that
the organization has a strong future even without its star athlete.
International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven told The
Associated Press he has been in a state of "shock and disbelief" since
Pistorius was arrested Thursday in the shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva
Steenkamp.
Having been central to plans to maintain the momentum from the
record-breaking Paralympics last year, Pistorius has now been forced to
pull out of all future races.
The South African helped to generate unprecedented interest in
disability sports by becoming the first double amputee sprinter to
compete at the Olympics. Now Craven is acting quickly to ensure the
Paralympics' progress is not damaged by the fallout from Pistorius'
high-profile case.
"We've got so many stars coming through that this will not be an issue," Craven said.
"Even since this tragedy happened, it's still been 'London, London,
London' and what happened there — a unique moment in times that still
continues in the hearts and minds of people."
And in a letter to IPC members on Tuesday, Craven sought to shift
attention from the "difficult and traumatic day" regarding Pistorius to
remind how the London Paralympics succeeded in creating "a whole host of
young world-class, medal-winning athletes."
Craven pointed to British sprinter Jonnie Peacock, who deposed Pistorius
as 100-meter champion at the Paralympics, and Alan Oliveira, who took
the 200 title in front of a crowd of some 80,000 in the London Olympic
Stadium.
"It's upon their shoulders that the Paralympic movement will be moving
forward and it's still continuing to be the most exciting times after
London," Craven said by phone from the IPC winter sports championships
in Spain.
Craven has experienced a "roller-coaster of emotion" since he was
awakened Thursday with the news of the killing. Pistorius said at a bail
hearing Tuesday that he mistook his girlfriend for a robber and the
shooting was an accident, not premeditated murder.
"Shock and disbelief," Craven recalled of his initial thoughts. "I could
not believe what I was hearing ... because of this total difference
between Oscar, the person I knew — I won't say very well but I had
interacted with him on many occasions in press conferences etc. and seen
him compete — and the Oscar we were hearing about now in the media and
with what happened."
Craven said he had not witnessed any change in Pistorius' mindset at the
Paralympics even when the runner created a storm by suggesting rival
Oliveira was gaining an unfair advantage by using lengthened blades.
"In the heat of competition — I remember when I was a wheelchair
basketball player — the redness would come down particularly if I didn't
agree with certain refereeing decisions, and I've seen it in other
athletes," Craven said. "I think it's something that happens all the
time in athletic competitions.
He said the dispute about the blades didn't bother him, and "didn't make
me think there was anything different in London (with Pistorius) to
what there had been before."
Craven has not made contact with the 26-year-old Pistorius since the
Valentine's Day arrest. The Paralympic chief has expressed the
organization's condolences to the family of Steenkamp, the model and law
graduate who was cremated Tuesday at a memorial service in Port
Elizabeth, South Africa.
Craven wants IPC members to "respect" the justice system.
"This is a police case and we have to remain impartial at all times," he
said. "The South African law courts will decide Oscar's fate over the
coming months and only then will the full story of what actually
happened emerge."
The case has delayed planned announcements on television rights sales
for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Games in
Rio de Janeiro.
The IPC has yet to find a U.S. network to show its competitions live
after NBC was criticized for broadcasting only 5 1/2 hours of Paralympic
highlights from London.
"Meetings have taken place with U.S. television stations with a view to
things being put right, definitely by Rio, if not by Sochi," Craven
said.
