South African sprinter OSCAR PISTORIUS, the double amputee who faces a murder trial in South Africa, "is to be given the all-clear to compete at the International Paralympic Committee World Athletics Championships in France this summer," according to Gareth A. Davies of the London TELEGRAPH. An internal report circulated within senior ranks at the IPC "has cleared the athlete," who is accused of murdering his girlfriend REEVA STEENKAMP, "to run at the event in Lyon in July." It is understood that PEET VAN ZYL, Pistorius's agent, "will be notified that the athlete will be free to register for the event, either for South Africa, or as an individual" (TELEGRAPH, 4/4). The PA's Kate Bamber wrote Van Zyl confirmed on Thursday that "Pistorius is ready to return to training as a way of dealing with his grief but has no immediate plans to compete." Pistorius "has been pictured in a South African newspaper running round a track in his home town of Pretoria." The photograph, taken by a member of a children's hockey team, shows the '12 Paralympic Gold Medal winner "wearing his blades and jogging around the track at the University of Pretoria." However, Van Zyl "denied Pistorius has returned to training." Van Zyl: "He was just having a jog around his track on his own accord. He wasn't back at training" (PA, 4/4). The AP reported in response to a claim that Pistorius had begun training as much as two weeks ago, his family denied that he was on "any official training program" and had only been out running "on a number of isolated occasions" (AP, 4/4).
