Coe brushes off Pistorius dual Games row
LONDON 2012 chief Lord Coe has sidestepped the row over double amputee runner Oscar Pistorius, who wants to compete in both Olympics and Paralympics next year.
British Paralympic great Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has called on the South African, nicknamed Blade Runner, to opt for one or the other.
Asked yesterday whether Pistorius should choose, Coe said: “I don’t think it’s for the organising committee to make those judgments – it’s very much a case for Oscar Pistorius and the organisations involved.
“What I will tell you is that, as vice-president of the International Athletics Federation [IAAF], we welcomed Oscar to [the recent World Championships in] Korea and he was a significant attraction.”
Pistorius continues to provoke debate, despite athletics chiefs accepting his carbon fibre prosthetic legs did not confer an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners.
This week he cut short an interview after a reporter asked if he felt South African track bosses considered him “an inconvenient embarrassment”.
“For 95 per cent of positivity there is a bit of negativity,” Pistorius said.
London 2012 Paralympics tickets go on sale from tomorrow.