DAME Tanni Grey-Thompson is worried that Oscar Pistorius' bid to race at next year's Olympics could undermine the efforts of other Paralympians.
Pistorious, a double amputee who runs on carbon fibre blades, lined up against a field including Olympic 400 metres champion Jeremy Wariner at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix in Sheffield last night.
The 20-year-old athlete - who has been so
mewhat predictably nicknamed 'Blade Runner' - hopes to run at next year's Olympic Games and is currently having his case evaluated by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), who are aiming to discover whether he receives mechanical assistance and were at the Don Valley Stadium yesterday to evaluate his performances. And while the 11-times Paralympic gold medallist revealed it would be a delight to see him race in Yorkshire, she admits his participation at the Olympics could have a damaging impact on the Paralympics.
"If I was in his situation would I take the opportunity? Absolutely, yes. It is an amazing chance for him to show the world what he can do," she said.
"Oscar is probably going to change the world of Paralympic sport in ways that we never imagined even two or three years ago. But it does throw open a much wider argument about the guys who aren't as good as Oscar about where they fit in the Paralympic movement.
"I'm very pleased that Oscar wants to run the Olympics and the Paralympics but it's whether the Paralympics becomes in his category an event for the guys who are not good enough to make the Olympics. It's part of a much, much wider debate." The South African rejected Grey-Thompson's claims, insisting Paralympic athletes would still retain the same status as Olympic athletes.
"Never. I think one of the things for me has always been that I have learnt most of what I have learnt today competing at the Paralympics," he said.
"At the same time, I think when that opportunity comes up next year as Tanni said, I would like to do the Olympics and the Paralympics if I can - that's if I even qualify for the Olympics. I'm pretty excited about that.
"I also don't think in the sense that I'd like to go to the Olympics and think of the Paralympics of any less of an event I think the guys there might just have an amputee but they are just as elite as many of the Olympic athletes," Pistorious added.
