Should Oscar Run?

This is such an interesting question with wide ranging ramifications that I am not sure anyone has a concrete answer to. In one of the articles that I have read, the author suggests that his heart says Oscar should run, but his head says that he should not be allowed to run. For me, the answer is slightly different. Oscar has prosthetic legs that, while they may allow for a greater return of energy than the human leg, also pose tremendous difficulties and disadvantages. If you have watched the YouTube video, you can see how his running gait is not the most graceful. As he reaches speed, his blades begin to turn outwards, and it almost appears as if he must slightly "throw his hips" to be able to run.

Now, I am not a biomechanist and I my understanding of human anatomy and physiology is limited, but my observations and limited knowledge lead me to believe that advantages received from the blades that he runs on are offset by the disadvantages he encounters from not having legs. These disadvantages can range from the matching of his legs to his prosthetics to balance issues due to the fact that there are no nerve endings in the blades for him to tell if he is running correctly on the track surface.

I had a track athlete recently suggest to me that he should not be allowed to run. I do think he should be given the same chance as others to try to run. If he can make the times necessary to participate, then he should be allowed. It should be noted that currently he is not fast enough to make the Olympic qualifying time so all of this may be a mute issue in reality, but he would still be eligible to run for the South African relay team. He should not have the rules changed for him and he should not receive any special treatment, but he should be given the chance to try.

In the end, I think that there are some important lessons that can be learned through his experience. All I want is a chance to try. Don't tell me that I can't. As soon as you tell me I can't, I will prove you wrong. The beauty of the human body and the human spirit is that we just don't know what is truly possible and by simply saying "no" just because we are uncomfortable or because we haven't seen something achieved before, we limit those who could do amazing feats. Should Oscar be allowed to run? In my mind the answer is a clear yes and to adapt a quote from Forrest Gump..."Run Oscar Run."