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BEIJING - International Paralympic chiefs defended their classification system Friday after an Irish athlete was controversially banned from the Games because he was deemed not disabled enough.
Derek Malone, who won a bronze medal in his class in the 800 metres track in Athens in 2004, and Irish sports chiefs reacted angrily after authorities ruled him ineligible this week to participate in Beijing.
Malone had been picked as part of Ireland's seven-a-side football tournament and had already played a pool match against Iran.
But, after a review, the classification body ruled that Malone's cerebral palsy condition was not severe enough, apparently because his condition had improved due to his fitness work ahead of the Games.
International Paralympic Committee medical and scientific director Peter Van de Vliet told reporters the purpose of classification was to ensure fair competition.
"This is translated into classification rules that have the status of competition rules and have to be abided by by all parties, and these rules are known by everybody very far in advance," he said.
"As far as I know all the assessments that have been done so far during these Games have been done in compliance with the actual rules."
Malone, 28, told reporters Thursday that he was "bitterly disappointed and frustrated by the whole process".
Paralympic Council of Ireland secretary general Liam Harbison said Malone had been punished for training hard and pursuing excellence.
"It appears to be the case that if he had not pursued his athletic endeavour with such zeal for a significant time period leading into these Games he is more likely to have been classified eligible," Harbison said.
"We feel he has become a victim of a flawed rule book that hasn't kept sufficient pace with the development of elite cerebral palsy sport."
A letter signed by the Ukrainian, Brazilian, Dutch and Irish national paralympic committees has also been submitted demanding Malone be reinstated.
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