Prosthetics and other assistive technologies are used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of people with physical disabilities. In sports, the primary motive of this technology is to even the playing field; that is, to give the disabled athlete a way to match the mechanical capabilities of the able-bodied athlete. At the college level, many athletes with prosthetics or other assistive technologies compete alongside the able-bodied. However, in elite sports, such as in the Olympics, able-bodied athletes are typically separated from disabled athletes. On one hand, separating the Olympics from the Paralympics allows more opportunity for success for the disabled athlete, who is at a disadvantage without full use of all
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Is it fair, then, for a capable, but disabled, athlete to be placed in another competition? Where does the line of discrimination lie? On the other hand, some of these assistive technologies, which initially were created to help those with physical disabilities, are now seen as an enhancement by some able-bodied athletes. This blending of assistive technology into an enhancement yields another line of discrimination to define. In this paper, I will explore the limits of this blurred line and look at both sides of the issue. As it is important to understand the original intention of these inventions, I will initially explain the history of prosthetics and other assistive technologies used in sports. I will explore the ethical problems associated with discriminating against disabled athletes at an elite level, as well as the ethical problems that stem from the blurred line between prosthetics as a helpful tool and a strategic advantage. It is not fair to separate able-bodied athletes from physically disabled ones if they are just as talented and have the potential to win the competition at hand. Likewise, if the athletes with assistive technologies are only winning due to their “superhuman” enhancement, they are jeopardizing the fairness of the elite
Is it fair, then, for a capable, but disabled, athlete to be placed in another competition? Where does the line of discrimination lie? On the other hand, some of these assistive technologies, which initially were created to help those with physical disabilities, are now seen as an enhancement by some able-bodied athletes. This blending of assistive technology into an enhancement yields another line of discrimination to define. In this paper, I will explore the limits of this blurred line and look at both sides of the issue. As it is important to understand the original intention of these inventions, I will initially explain the history of prosthetics and other assistive technologies used in sports. I will explore the ethical problems associated with discriminating against disabled athletes at an elite level, as well as the ethical problems that stem from the blurred line between prosthetics as a helpful tool and a strategic advantage. It is not fair to separate able-bodied athletes from physically disabled ones if they are just as talented and have the potential to win the competition at hand. Likewise, if the athletes with assistive technologies are only winning due to their “superhuman” enhancement, they are jeopardizing the fairness of the elite