Pistorius out of Paralympic events for 5 years

LONDON?- Oscar Pistorius will be ineligible to compete in Paralympic events during the entirety of his five-year prison sentence.

The double-amputee South African runner, who has won six Paralympic gold medals, was sentenced Tuesday for killing Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius could be released after 10 months to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest,

The International Paralympic Committee said, under its rules, "the sentence means Pistorius is ineligible to compete for the entire five years regardless of where it is served."

That would rule the 27-year-old Pistorius out of the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2012, Pistorius became the first double-amputee sprinter to compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics in London.

The International Olympic Committee called the case "a human tragedy for the family of Reeva Steenkamp and also for Oscar Pistorius,"but declined to comment on his eligibility to compete.

"We hope very much that time will bring comfort to all those concerned but at this stage we have no further comment to make,"IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

The International Association of Athletics Federations said: "The IAAF has no comment to make about Oscar Pistorius."