Pistorious' participation in the Games will challenge our very notions of fair play. Why are the advantages of double-jointed limbs, superhuman resting heart rates or even the wealth necessary to train and compete, among other accidents of birth, more fair than running on carbon-fiber legs? The answer will only become less satisfying as genomic research continues to challenge the conventional wisdom that blood and sweat are the key ingredients in athletic achievement. Research has already begun to show that, at least in some athletes, propitious genetics allows them to succeed more readily than their peers.
Dov Greenbaum and Mark Gerstein
Unpublished Letter to the Editor RE:
Jacquelin Magnay's "London 2012 Olympics: Oscar Pistorius will run in individual 400m and 4x400m relay for South Africa"
The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 4 July
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/9375602/London-2012-Olympics-Oscar-Pistorius-will-run-in-individual-400m-and-4x400m-relay-for-South-Africa.html
