"A thing like that would be in the domain of the Paralympics perhaps, or a new sporting activity that does not yet exist, " he says.

CNN: Why Oscar Pistorius deserves to run

Given that the technology does not yet exist to produce oil from under 2, 500 metres of water, it is perhaps surprising that the oil companies are prepared to pay so much for the right to try.

ECONOMIST: Angolan oil: Drilling down | The