Olympics 2008

There has been much talk in the office in recent weeks about which athletics race will provide the biggest story in Beijing.

Several have picked the marathon, particularly if Paula Radcliffe is fit to run, there has been the odd vote for the men's 100m, while the 110m hurdles promises to be a cracker.

But for me, the men's 400m is the one to keep an eye out for, providing Oscar Pistorius can break the 46-second barrier in the next five weeks or so.

The double amputee sprinter was given the green light in May of this year to try to qualify for Beijing after many months of legal wrangling concluded that his prosthetic limbs do not give him an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes.

And there is a very real possibility that he will become the first leg amputee to compete in the athletics at the Olympics.

To race as an individual, Pistorius will have to lower his personal best from 46.33 to 45.55 seconds to be guaranteed a place, but even if he fails to do that, he could be named in South Africa's 4x400m relay squad.

At present he is competing in Paralympic test events, but is due to make his Olympic qualifying push in July.

South Africa are already sending one amputee to the Olympics.

Swimmer Natalie du Toit, who had her left leg amputed at the knee aged 17 and swims without a prosthetic limb, has qualified for the new 10km open water event.

But will Pistorius join her in Beijing? And should he even be allowed the opportunity to qualify in the first place?

I'm siding with the 'he shouldn't be allowed to compete' brigade.

It has been decreed that the prosthetics don't currently give him an advantage, but what if he develops a pair that look exactly the same but provide more of an aid?

Will his prosthetics need to be tested after the event in a similar fashion to the drug testing for able-bodied athletes?

How do you reach the line where the prosthetics put him on a fair level with able-bodied athletes but not over it?

And if he did win an Olympic title, would his victory be forever overshadowed by the whole unfair advantage debate?

Which side of the fence are you on?