Today, it was announced that Team Ossur member, Oscar Pistorius has made the 2008 TIME 100, the annual list published by TIME Magazine, which identifies the 100 most influential people in the world. Oscar is in good company, including the Dalai Lama, Lance Armstrong, Nelson Mandela, Vladimir Putin, and Al Gore. While TIME refuses to rank the 100 in importance, but does create categories – Oscar is listed third in the Heroes & Pioneers list, just after Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Oprah Winfrey – the magazine also conducted a poll amongst its readers to hear whom they thought should be on the list, and Oscar placed 19th.
Just one year ago, very few people in the world were aware of this young South African bilateral amputee who may very well change the history of sport because of his resolve and determination to compete on equal ground and without apologies against able-bodied athletes.
It has been quite a year for Oscar. After shattering many of his own world records, and becoming the first disabled athlete ever invited by the IAAF to run in a Grand Prix meeting in Helsinki, and at the World Championship in Manchester, he was barred by that very same organization from participating in any competition sanctioned by them, on the grounds that his Cheetah Flex-Feet by Ossur give him an advantage over able-bodied athletes.
At Ossur, we are resolute in our opinion that the IAAF is wrong, and expect that the international Court of Arbitration for Sport will rule on his behalf. In the meantime, we applaud TIME Magazine for this distinction and for giving Oscar, a young man who embodies our mission of helping people to live a life without limitations, his due.
TIME Magazine has said that this is not a list of the hottest, most popular or most powerful people, but rather the most influential, stating: “Influence is hard to measure, and what we look for is people whose ideas, whose example, whose talent, whose discoveries transform the world we live in. Influence is less about the hard power of force than the soft power of ideas and example.”
Ossur (Icelandic Stock Exchange: OSSR) is a global leader in non-invasive orthopaedics that help people live a life without limitations. Its business is focused on improving people’s mobility through the delivery of innovative technologies within the fields of braces, supports, prosthetic limbs and compression therapies. A recognized “Technology Pioneer," Ossur invests significantly in research and product development; its award-winning designs ensuring a consistently strong position in the market. Successful patient and clinical outcomes are further empowered via Ossur’s educational programs and business solutions. Headquartered in Iceland, Ossur has major operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, with additional distributors worldwide. www.ossur.com
Ossur Americas:
Tabi King
Marketing and Public Relations Director
(949) 360-3756
tking@ossur.com
Public Relations:
Beverly Millson
Missing Sock Public Relations
Office: (310) 399-7599 Cell: (310) 804-3469
beverly@missingsock.com