Paralympics boss slams Laws

International Paralympic Committee president Sir Philip Craven. Photo / Getty Images

The head of the world paralympic body has slammed comments made by radio host Michael Laws that disability sports are "ludicrous" saying he had stooped to a "pathetic low" and should be taken off the air.

During his talkback show on Friday, Laws said it was "crazy" that disabled sports people were able to compete for the Halberg Awards saying "If you have had your legs chopped off, you shouldn't be in there at all".

Laws was also critical of paralympian slalom skier Adam Hall who got up and won a gold medal after dramatically falling over at the Vancouver Paralympics last year.

"The fact the guy was able to fall down, get up again and still win, shows that really there wasn't a hell of a lot of competition in his field, was there?," he said.

International Paralympic Committee president Sir Philip Craven, said he was "utterly disgusted" by Laws' comments which were an insult to all paralympic competitors.

"His derogatory comments are an insult to all athletes within the paralympic movement who train for long hours each day to compete at the highest level," Sir Philip said.

"To say there is not a lot of competition in paralympic sport is pure ignorance."

Laws had stooped to "a new pathetic low" with his comments and listeners and advertisers should boycott his show, he said.

"What is equally disappointing is that his employers RadioWorks are standing by him claiming to have not received any complaints."

Sir Philip said he would be writing to RadioWorks and the New Zealand Broadcasting Authority to highlight his disgust at the comments and urged others to do the same.

"His comments have absolutely no place in society, and his employer should do the responsible thing and remove the platform they currently give him to air his archaic and mindless views," Sir Philip said.

Meanwhile, Laws says his comments have been "wholly mischaracterised" by the media. Commenting on nzherald.co.nz's Your Views, Mr Laws said the point he was making was that is "was ludicrous to put disability athletes vs able bodied for the Halberg Awards".

"As it would be putting athletes from the Masters Games (age defined) or Special Olympics (mentally defined)," he wrote.

"I also made the point that the myriad of definitions of disability - for the purpose of the Games - is overwhelming. And that, like squash, it is not a sport that raises the spectator pulse."