Comment

LEGISLATIVE lunatics are in danger of taking over sport. The Court of Arbitration for Sport, in defiance of learned opinion, yesterday ruled the artificial limbs of Oscar Pistorious eligible for use in mainstream athletics.

Meanwhile, lawyers acting for drug cheat Dwain Chambers confirmed he is poised to challenge a British Olympic Association rule which makes him ineligible for Beijing.

This leaves sport's legislators in turmoil, bemused as to who does actually control sport.

With respect to the Court of Arbitration, it's self-evident that Pistorious defies normal physiology. He is the only 400m runner who is is still accelerating towards the finish, when normal limbs are slowing down.

The binding decision opens a can of worms. Heaven forbid that any world-class able- bodied 400m runner lose both legs but, if it happens, be prepared to see him wear prostheses and run seconds inside Michael Johnson's world best.

Disabled wheelchair competitors are known to have amputated useless limbs to give a greater power-to-weight ration and improve performance. Welcome to the freak show.

Pistorious's victory, is, incidentally, almost certainly academic. He needs to find more than a second to reach the individual qualifying time to represent South Africa at the Olympics. He can be selected for their 4x400m relay squad provided they are among the 16th-fastest in the world. Last year they ranked 30th.