Monday, July 19, 2021
Markus Rehm wants Tokyo twice
Prosthetic jumper sues for Olympic dream
Markus Rehm jumps as far as nobody else in the long jump this year. Nevertheless, he is not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. Because instead of two legs, he has one leg and a prosthesis. For his dream of Tokyo he is now even fighting in front of the sports court.
Paralympics star Markus Rehm went to the CAS International Sports Court to fight for his participation in the Olympic Games. This was confirmed by President Friedhelm Julius Beucher from the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS). “Markus turned to the CAS,” said the 74-year-old at the nomination press conference for the Paralympics: “I just don’t know whether it has already been received or not.”
“Markus Rehm left no doubt that he feels like a Paralympic athlete who wants to take an inclusive approach as a Paralympic athlete at an Olympic event. He finds my personal support there,” Beucher continued.
The German Athletics Association had proposed Rehm to the German Olympic Sports Confederation for nomination for participation in the games in a separate evaluation. The DOSB reported Rehm to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a member of the German Olympic team, as Beucher confirmed. The IOC then passed the case on to the World Athletics Federation, but World Athletics declared Rehm ineligible and invoked rule 6.3.4, according to which the prosthesis is a mechanical aid. The athlete must prove whether there is an advantage or disadvantage due to the prosthesis.
“For its part, the CAS decided that it is not the athlete who has to prove whether it is an advantage or a disadvantage, but the sports federation. That is why, in my opinion, World Athletics is trying to give a clear answer,” criticized Beucher. Rehm does not compete to “take away a medal from an Olympic athlete in which he continues to jump. He wants to start out of competition, that was his idea from the start,” said Beucher.
World record further than the year’s best
But according to the complaint, the 32-year-old is demanding unrestricted admission to the long jump competition; admission out of competition or in a separate evaluation is only required as an alternative. “At some point you just have to take the next step, and I’m going to do that now. Unfortunately, no one else is being listened to and nothing changes,” Rehm, who is missing the right lower leg, told Sport1. The CAS ad hoc division for the Tokyo Olympics declined to consider the case because it was a pre-game matter, Beucher said. “So we have to wait and see how the CAS reacts when the lawsuit is filed.”
Rehm had only improved his para world record to 8.62 meters on June 1st. This year’s world ranking of long jumpers is led by the Greek Miltiadis Tentoglou – with 8.60 meters.
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