Assistive Technologies, Brain-Computer Interfaces and the Radical Cyborgization of Athletes: Between Performance Optimization and Enhancement

Assistive technologies are now widely used in sports, but what is gaining increasing attention is the integration of these technologies with AI tools. This chapter explores the implications of this trend, particularly in the context of Paralympic disciplines. In the first part of this chapter, we trace the histories of three notable cases where athletes using assistive technologies - Oscar Pistorius, Markus Rehm, and Blake Leeper- faced allegations of gaining an ‘unfair advantage’. For each case, we detail how World Athletics, the international sports governing body for track and field, has employed “strategies of containment” that impose an unattainable burden of proof on athletes with disabilities, ultimately preventing these athletes from competing alongside Olympic athletes. The second part of the chapter discusses advancements in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and their potential to influence future sports by enhancing performance and affecting Paralympic classification. Throughout, the chapter argues that applying able-bodied Olympic standards to athletes using assistive devices is both problematic and inherently unfair, reflecting broader societal ableist views. We suggest that AI could help address the contentious issue of eligibility for athletes with assistive technology by establishing an equitable and common set of standards not biased toward able-bodied athletes. Additionally, sports federations could consider the fusion of technology and human capabilities - the ‘cyborg’ - as a new benchmark for mixed-performance events.