Oscar Pistorius banned by International Paralympic Committee after five-year jail sentence
Tuesday, 21 October 2014
By Paul Osborne
Oscar Pistorius will not be able to compete at any major event, including Rio 2016, for five years, even if he is released before his five year sentence is complete, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has ruled.The six-time Paralympic champion was today sentenced to five years in jail for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The judge in his case, Thokozile Masipa, found the South African guilty of culpable homicide while he was also handed a three-year suspended sentence for a firearms offence.
Despite Pistorius' defence lawyer Barry Roux claiming that he expects the sprinter to serve a minimum of 10 months in jail before being considered for house arrest, the IPC has confirmed that he will not be able to compete in any of their sanctioned events for the full five-year sentence.
"If someone is charged by court they must serve their full sentence regardless of whether they are released early or not," Craig Spence, director of media and communications at the IPC, toldinsidethegames.
The judge in his case, Thokozile Masipa, found the South African guilty of culpable homicide while he was also handed a three-year suspended sentence for a firearms offence.
Despite Pistorius' defence lawyer Barry Roux claiming that he expects the sprinter to serve a minimum of 10 months in jail before being considered for house arrest, the IPC has confirmed that he will not be able to compete in any of their sanctioned events for the full five-year sentence.
"If someone is charged by court they must serve their full sentence regardless of whether they are released early or not," Craig Spence, director of media and communications at the IPC, toldinsidethegames.
To read the entire story at Inside the Games, please use this link: http://www.insidethegames.biz/paralympics/1023353-oscar-pistorius-will-not-compete-at-rio-2016-ipc-confirms
(Editor's note: We missed this piece earlier in the week, due to travel. The IPC believes, from its actions, that athletes should have repercussions for their actions. Interestingly enough, a superb story on the front page of the International New York Times on Friday, October 24, 2014.)
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