Blade runner Oscar Pistorius banned from Paralympics for five years
From
USA Today:
LONDON (AP) — Oscar Pistorius will be ineligible to compete in
Paralympic events during the entirety of his five-year prison sentence.
The
double-amputee South African runner, who has won six Paralympic gold
medals, was given a five-year jail term Tuesday for killing Reeva
Steenkamp.
Pistorius could be released after 10 months to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
The
International Paralympic Committee said, under its rules, "the sentence
means Pistorius is ineligible to compete for the entire five years
regardless of where it is served."
That would rule the 27-year-old Pistorius out of the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2012, Pistorius became the first double-amputee sprinter to compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics in London.
The
International Olympic Committee called the case "a human tragedy for
the family of Reeva Steenkamp and also for Oscar Pistorius," but
declined to comment on his eligibility to compete.
"We hope very
much that time will bring comfort to all those concerned but at this
stage we have no further comment to make," IOC spokesman Mark Adams
said.
The International Association of Athletics Federations said: "The IAAF has no comment to make about Oscar Pistorius."