Double-Amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal Friday and can compete for a place in the Beijing Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the 21-year-old South African is eligible to race against able-bodied athletes, overturning a ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations.CAS said the unanimous ruling goes into effect immediately. Pistorius must still reach a qualifying time to run in the individual 400 meters at the August 8-24 Beijing Games. However, he can be picked for the South African relay squad without qualifying. Pistorius appealed to CAS, world sport’s highest tribunal, to overturn a ruling by the IAAF which banned him from competing against able-bodied runners. The IAAF said his carbon fiber blades gave him a mechanical advantage. A two-day hearing was held before a panel of three arbitrators at CAS headquarters last month. Pistorius holds the 400 meter Paralympic world record of 46.56 seconds, but that time is outside the Olympic qualifying standard of 45.55. Even if Pistorius fails to get the qualifying time, South African selectors could add the University of Pretoria student to the Olympic 1,600-meter relay squad. The verdict also clears Pistorius to dedicate himself to competing at the 2012 London Olympics.
