Oscar Pistorius competes in the 400-metre race during the Prefontaine Classic track and field meet in Eugene, Ore., on June 4, 2011.DON RYAN/The Associated Press
Oscar Pistorius will be free to compete for South Africa at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as long as the judge doesn't hand down a multiple year jail term, the country's Olympic committee said Wednesday.
Pistorius, a Paralympic gold medalist, was freed on bail Sept. 12 after he was convicted of manslaughter for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year and of firing a gun in a crowded restaurant. His punishment for culpable homicide could range from a fine to as many as 15 years in jail.
"There's no regulation that says someone with a criminal record cannot compete," the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee said Wednesday in an e-mailed response to questions. "His case is a court case so he adheres to what the court says."
Known as the Blade Runner because of his J-shaped prosthetic running blades, Pistorius was the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics, in London two years ago. He will return to the high Court in Pretoria, South Africa's capital, on Oct. 13. to hear his sentence.