Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius would not be taking part in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio in light of the IPC's decision to bar the double amputee athlete from competition for the duration of his five-year sentence.
In September, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had said that it would not block Pistorius, who has won six gold medals at three Paralympic Games, if he had served his sentence and wanted to compete at Rio.
But, after reverting their choice, IPC's director of communications Craig Spence said that he wouldn't say it's a U-turn or ban, adding that what they have said throughout this is that they would respect whatever decision is made by the South African court, The BBC reported.
Spence said that in IPC's rules, regardless of whether Pistorius is released early or not, it is still a five-year sentence so the earliest he would be able to compete, if he wanted to, is 2019. He added that regardless of whether Pistorius comes back or not, the Paralympic movement goes from strength to strength.
Spence also said that a potential return after the ban is purely Pistorius' decision.
Moreover, the psychiatrist who assessed Oscar Pistorius during his trial for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp has revealed that the double amputee athlete is unlikely to want to compete in Paralympic events again.
Professor Jonathan Scholtz, who carried out a month-long study of the athlete's mental state during the course of his trial, said that he seriously doubts that Pistorius would return.
More From This Section
Scholtz revealed that during the assessment there was almost a bit of relief from Pistorius' side that he did not have to follow that very active schedule and all that pressure week in and week out.
Meanwhile, Pistorius's defence lawyer said his client was expected to serve 10 months in prison, with the rest under house arrest.
Pistorius, nicknamed Blade Runner after the prosthetic limbs that replace the lower part of his legs, made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics during London 2012.
Pistorius has been sentenced to five years in jail for culpable homicide after he shot Steenkamp dead in his Pretoria home on Valentines Day last year, the report added.
