Oscar Pistorius will be free to compete after serving sentence

Found guilty Friday morning of culpable homicide, South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius will be free to compete in the Paralympic Games again after serving whatever sentence is handed to him by the courts, says the International Paralympic Commitee.

“Providing he serves his sentence and he wants to compete, and if selected by the South African National Paralympic Committee, he will be free to compete in IPC competitions going forward,” said IPC spokesman Craig Spence to media on Thursday after it became clear he would not be found guilty of murder.

The 27-year-old double amputee has won eight medals at the Paralympic Games, six of them gold, but he will be notably older after serving his sentence. The crime is comparable to one of manslaughter in Canada and can generally carries a five-year sentence, but that can be extended up to 15. The sentence hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13.

“We are a sports organization,” Spence told media. “We have to differentiate between sport and what’s gone on in his private life.”