May 16 (Bloomberg) -- Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal to be eligible to compete in the Olympics using the carbon-fiber prosthetics that have gained him the nickname ``Blade Runner.''

The Court of Arbitration for Sport today overturned a ban on the 21-year-old South African runner by the International Association of Athletics Federations, which said studies found the prosthetic blades gave him an unfair advantage.

``The panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage,'' the Lausanne, Switzerland-based court said in a ruling on its Web site.

Pistorius needs to shave at least 0.39 seconds from his best time of 46.34 seconds before July 20 to reach the Olympic qualifying standard for the 400-meter sprint at the Beijing Games in August, his agent Peet van Zyl said.

``It's a race against time,'' Van Zyl said in a telephone interview. ``We are definitely going to give it a go.''

Pistorius would need to improve his best time by 0.79 seconds if another South African qualifies with a time of 45.55 seconds or faster, he added.

There's no chance he'll get a special exemption from the rules and it's ``very unlikely'' South Africa will send a 1,600- -meter relay team to Beijing, the agent said.

The judgment only applies to Pistorius and could be overturned if further tests prove his blades give him an advantage, according to the court, the highest appeals panel in international sports.

`Very Pleased'

``We're very, very pleased,'' Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney representing Pistorius, said in an interview. ``This will give not just Oscar but all disabled athletes a shot, and that's all they can hope for.''

Pistorius was barred from competing with able-bodied athletes by the IAAF after two days of tests conducted with the double amputee at the German Sport University's Institute of Biomechanics at Cologne.

The IAAF, citing the research, said on Jan. 14 that the blades he used offered a 30 percent advantage because they needed less additional energy than natural limbs.

``It is absolutely the most exciting thing that has ever happened in terms of the way the sport has turned,'' said Dick Traum, president and founder of the Achilles Track Club, the world's largest group of disabled distance runners. ``Over the past generation the way people look at amputees has changed dramatically. People like this man are admired instead of ushered to the side.''

Paralympic Records

Pistorius was born without his fibula, the smaller of the two bones in the lower legs, and both limbs were amputated below the knees when he was 11 months old. As a teenager, he competed in sports including rugby and wrestling. He took up running to recover from a rugby injury and has broken more than 20 Paralympic world records.

IAAF President Lamine Diack today said the track-and-field ruling body accepted the court's decision.

``Oscar will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer,'' Diack said in a statement. ``He is an inspirational man.''

There was no immediate comment from the International Olympic Committee.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Duff in Madrid at aduff4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 16, 2008 11:25 EDT