Murder suspect Pistorius too 'traumatised' for full training

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South Africa's Paralympian sprint star Oscar Pistorius, who is charged with murdering his girlfriend on February 14, is still too traumatised to start training for competition, his family said on Thursday.

Mr Pistorius last week succeeded in having his stringent bail conditions relaxed to allow him to travel abroad for competitions, but his uncle Arnold Pistorius said he was still battling to even step out of the house.

"Oscar is not back on any official training programme. This may change in future, but this will be a decision taken by Oscar."

"At this point Oscar is still in an extremely traumatised state and has made it clear to all of us that he is not able or willing to even contemplate this issue at this stage," the uncle said in a statement.

Mr Pistorius's athletics career has been on hold since the killing of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day.

The double amputee known as "Blade Runner" is considering resuming training, his agent Peet Van Zyl told AFP on Wednesday, to get "some form of routine in his life".

His family is also encouraging him to get back on the track to help him to "stabilise" emotionally.

Last week, a judge eased his bail terms to allow him to move about inside the country and abroad for competition.

His uncle said he has since gone out to run on a number of isolated occasions, "but each time has been very difficult and he has 'struggled immensely' with the decision to even leave the house".

Mr Pistorius who faces a trial later this year on charges of pre-meditated murder, had appealed against the raft of bail conditions he said were unfair and unwarranted.

He claims he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder when he shot her several times through a locked bathroom door in the early hours of February 14.

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