Foucault, justice, and athletes with prosthetics: The 2008 cas arbitration report on oscar pistorius

The participation of Oscar Pistorius in the 2012 London Olympic Games served as a significant milestone for the inclusion of disabled athletes in major international athletics. An account of the struggle by Pistorius to compete in international competition is presented by the 2008 CAS Arbitration Report released by the CAS arbitration panel that ultimately ruled for his eligibility. Superficially, the Arbitration Report reads as an account of a correction in procedural error, with the CAS Arbitration Panel working to correct the decision of an IAAF hearing that the CAS Arbitration Panel critiqued as lacking transparency and going ‘‘off the rails.’’ This paper, however, goes beyond a superficial reading of the Arbitration Report and instead engages a deeper analysis by applying the theories of Michel Foucault to identify what the report reveals about the nature of justice under the CAS for athletes with prosthetics in international sport.