Athletes with Disabilities

I'm full of admiration for anyone with a disability for trying to rise above that disability.  It harks back to Douglas "tin legs" Bader, who rose above enormous difficulties to fly a fighter aircraft after losing the use of both of his legs in December 1931 but, within 10 years, was back flying fighter aircraft and had become an "ace" for the number of confirmed "kills" he made in aerial combat.  I do not suffer any such disability so I cannot even imagine the immense difficulties that must be presented to anyone with a profound disability who seeks to rise above it.

The same is most certainly true of all the athletes who will participate in the London Paralympic Games that are scheduled to start with the opening ceremony, early tomorrow morning - my time.  Indeed, I am already setup to record the event because I can't get up so early, due to other commitments in my day.

That said, I must be missing something because there will be at least one athlete at those Games who has already competed in the Olympic Games, among all the able-bodied athletes.  I applaud and admire Oscar Pistorius for being able enough to rise above his very significant disability to be able to compete at that level of the international competition.  At the same time, however, I have to ask whether an athlete who has already proven an ability to compete on equal terms with able-bodied athletes from all over the world, should have the right to compete in the London Paralympic Games.

Surely this is unfair to all those other competitors who have not yet been able to compete on the same equal terms.  I'd really like to know why I might be wrong in this assertion because it's totally beyond my public school education and comprehension.