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Athletics governing body the IAAF has proposed a new technical equipment rule that would effectively ban South African amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius from taking part in next year's Beijing Olympics.
The 20-year-old from Pretoria had both legs amputated below the knee when less than a year old because of a congenital condition.
A former rugby and water polo player, Pistorius uses high-tech, J-shaped carbon-fibre blades which are fixed to his legs just under the knees. But the IAAF believes the blades are an unfair advantage.
