Pistorius Gets 5-Year Jail Term; Banned from Rio 2016

(ATR) The International Paralympic Committee says Oscar Pistorius will not be allowed to compete at the Rio 2016 Games if he is released early from a five-year jail sentence.

The South African double amputee athlete was on Tuesday sentenced to five years in prison for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. His defence lawyers said he would be expected to serve one-sixth of the sentence, meaning he could be released on house arrest after 10 months.

But this was disputed by the National Prosecuting Authority, which said he must serve a minimum of one-third in jail, or 20 months.

IPC spokesman Craig Spence confirmed to Around the Rings that Pistorius would not be eligible to compete in its events for five years, a period which includes two world championships and the Rio 2016 Games.

Pistorius’ only hope of competing in IPC events before 2019 rests on a successful appeal and receiving a shorter sentence. There was no indication today that any appeal would be made.

"We want the headlines in Rio 2016 to be about athletes winning medals and about sporting performances and that’s what we are looking forward to. We are aiming for Rio to build on the success of the London 2012 Paralympics," Spence said.

The athlete, known as the 'Blade Runner' because of the prosthetic blades he competed in, will be 33 by the time of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The IOC issued a statement, saying it had taken note of the court’s decision.

"This is a human tragedy for the family of Reeva Steenkamp and also for Oscar Pistorius. We hope very much that time will bring comfort to all those concerned but at this stage we have no further comment to make," the IOC said.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee declined to comment on the Pistorius sentence. "The court has decided a sentence. We don’t have a view," CEO Tubby Reddy told ATR.

He refused to speculate on what may happen for Pistorius if he appealed the court ruling and had his sentence reduced.

South African judge Thokozile Masipa summarised the evidence brought before the trial before issuing the ruling at the Pretoria court. Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide last month.

Barry Steenkamp, father of Reeva, told reporters he was "very satisfied" with the sentence.

Masipa also handed down a three-year suspended sentence for a separate firearms charge for which Pistorius was also found guilty.

Commenting on the sentencing, she explained that there had to be a balance between retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation. Masipa said a non-custodial sentence "will send a wrong message to the community", adding that a long sentence was not appropriate as it lacked mercy.

Pistorius was led away by police officers to holding cells beneath the courtroom before being moved to Kgosi Mampuru II prison.

Steenkamp was killed when Pistorius fired four shots through a bathroom door at his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day last year. He claimed he had mistaken her for an intruder.

eported by Mark Bisson

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