6 Sep 2012

No evidence for Pistorius blade claims

6:07 am on 6 September 2012

The International Paralympic Committee says there is no substance to allegations from sprint star Oscar Pistorius about the length of his rivals' artificial running blades.

South Africa had made a formal complaint raising Pistorius's claims he was at a disadvantage in the 200 metre final because other runners were a lot taller and he could not compete with their stride length.

Pistorius's defeat to Brazil's Alan Oliveira was his first defeat in a 200 metre race in nine years and means he will now not retain the three sprint titles he won in Beijing.

The 25-year-old - the most high-profile athlete at the Games after he became the first double-amputee to compete at the Olympics last month - said he had raised the issue with the IPC but it had fallen on deaf ears.

The IPC says they've had spoken to national team coaches and found no evidence to back up the claims.

The IPC says all athletes' prostheses, which have to be in proportion to the length of their body, were measured on Monday and no infringements were found.

The International Paralympic Committee says no disciplinary action will be taken against Oscar Pistorius after he hit out at fellow competitors following his outburst.