According to experts, Oscar Pistorius can restore his image and even secure sponsorship deals after being released from prison about 11 years after shooting his girlfriend.
The Blade Runner gained worldwide fame when he won three gold medals at the 2006 Paralympic World Championships, becoming the first athlete to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In the years that followed, he earned $2 million (£1.5 million) from endorsement deals with companies such as Nike and luxury sunglasses brand Oakley.
All that came to naught in February 2013 when the South African was charged with the murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day.
But since Pistorius was released from prison today, the question has arisen as to whether the athlete could have a future as a sports coach or re-establish himself as a brand ambassador.
A player agent and sponsorship management specialist said he could restore his image and even secure brand deals if he proved he had changed and showed remorse for his crimes.
But even if this restores his image, it will be difficult for major brands like Nike and Oakley to take a risk and support the convicted murderer again.
South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius (center) is surrounded by police officers as he arrives at the High Court in Pretoria to attend a hearing that will send him back to prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp June 13, 2016
The Blade Runner gained worldwide fame when he won three gold medals at the 2006 Paralympic World Championships, becoming the first athlete to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games (pictured at the 2012 Paralympic Games).
That all came crashing down in February 2013 when the South African was charged with the murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (pictured together in November 2012) on Valentine's Day
Sports sponsorship management specialist Dumo Mbuli told Times Live newspaper that Pistorius would have to show remorse and prove he was rehabilitated to have a chance of getting a brand deal.
“It all depends on him,” Mbuli said. “Has he adjusted, shown remorse and shown that he has been rehabilitated after his conviction and coming out?” Is he responsive to the people he hurt? Is that his plan?'
Mbuli added: “At the moment the brands have been quiet and they will continue to remain quiet and do not want to be associated until the level of rehabilitation, the level of remorse and acceptance is shown.”
Regarding Pistorius' possible return to athletics, Mbuli said if the blade runner wanted to do so, he would have to show what he did in prison.
“He didn’t do any sports. “A big part of his reconstruction will be him telling his story from his time in prison, his conviction, his actions and what he went through in prison,” Mbuli said.
He added: “What has he done in terms of activities, what has he done in terms of social responsibility and what has he done for himself?” He will not be the athlete we once knew. A lot will depend on his level of rehabilitation and mental state.
“Those are the most important things and brands will want to see that. “You can still perform miracles, but if the character hasn't changed, brands won't want to be associated with you.”
Player agent Gavin Jones does not believe major sponsors “will even consider” working with Pistorius again.
But he said Pistorius could attract smaller brands – although that would require him to give back to the community and show remorse.
Pistorius was released from prison today and taken to his new home on his uncle Arnold Pistorius's estate outside Pretoria – 11 years after he shot Steenkamp.
He was granted an early release from prison on November 24, 2023, after a parole board found the 37-year-old was suitable for social reintegration and set his release date for January 5 this year.
Parole officials insisted he would be treated no differently than other inmates, but he was allowed a private exit even though dozens of journalists from TV crews were waiting at the main gate.
After his release, images of a previous prison cell emerged showing the conditions in which the former Paralympian lived. His prosthetic legs can be seen in a corner of the small, dingy cell, and family photos hang on the wall.
Meanwhile, Steenkamp's mother, June, said in a statement that she was the one “serving a life sentence” in her grief and wished that the release of the man who murdered her daughter would bring her some peace.
Pistorius' successful participation in the 2012 London Olympics (pictured) made him a huge star in America and the poster boy for Paralympians
Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates his victory in the men's 200m T44 final at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games
A view of Oscar Pistorius' prison cell at Kgosi Mampuru II Prison, Pretoria, South Africa, July 8, 2016. Family photos are seen framed above his bed
Prosthetic legs sit in Oscar Pistorius' prison cell at Kgosi Mampuru II Prison, Pretoria, South Africa, July 8, 2016
British-born June Steenkamp (seen comforting her husband Barry in 2014) today told Mail Online how Pistorius, 37, not only took Reeva away from her, but how she also blamed the runner for her husband's eventual death made – and also believes that he had destroyed her dream of having grandchildren
Reeva Steenkamp is pictured in 2012, a year before her murder
June Steenkamp believes Pistorius continues to lie about Reeva's murder but wants to step out of the spotlight to mourn her daughter and husband Barry, who died “of a broken heart” last September.
Reeva died after Pistorius shot her four times through the bathroom door of her home on Valentine's Day 2013.
He insisted it was an accident, believing a burglar had broken into the house.
Pistorius, who was born without fibula and had both legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday, was once seen as the embodiment of human triumph over adversity.
The Johannesburg-born athlete rose to global fame in the early 2000s when he won Paralympic gold in the 200 meters at the Athens Games.
Pistorius then set his sights on competing against able-bodied athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but was barred from taking part in the event by the governing bodies.
The ban was eventually overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but Pistorius failed to qualify for the Olympics, finishing just 0.70 seconds under the qualifying standard for the 400 meters in Beijing.
Undeterred, he won this year's Paralympics, taking gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400 meters before bidding to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
Vehicles come and go at the entrance to the correctional prison in Pretoria, South Africa on Friday. Pistorius was released from prison today
Police officers walk near the entrance to the Atteridgeville Correctional Center where South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, was released on parole on Friday
On Friday, the press gathers outside the home of Oscar Pistorius' uncle in the upscale suburb of Waterkloof, Pretoria
Private security outside the home of Oscar Pistorius' uncle in the upscale suburb of Waterkloof, Pretoria, where the athlete will live after his release from prison on Friday
This time he was successful, reaching the 400 m semi-finals and competing for South Africa in the 4×400 m relay. He also won three more Paralympic medals that year.
But his brilliant career was ruined by a Valentine's Day horror on February 14, 2013, when he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The week Pistorius was charged with Steenkamp's murder, Nike and Oakley dropped the sprinter. Nike ran an internet ad in 2007 featuring Pistorius in which he said: “I am the bullet in the chamber.”
Pistorius, a gun enthusiast, told the trial he believed Steenkamp was an intruder when he shot them several times with ammunition designed to cause maximum damage to the human body.
He was initially sentenced to five years in prison by a Supreme Court in 2014 for negligent homicide. But in late 2015, the Supreme Court of Appeal found him guilty of the more serious charge of murder following an appeal by prosecutors.
He was initially sentenced to six years in prison in 2016, which was later increased to more than 13 years after prosecutors appealed because the original sentence was too lenient.
In 2022, Pistorius met Steenkamp's father Barry during a process known as victim-offender dialogue – part of South Africa's restorative justice program that brings together parties affected by a crime to achieve closure.
Few details were released about the meeting and Steenkamp's father died in 2023.
Her mother June said in a statement before Pistorius' parole hearing that she was not convinced he had been rehabilitated.
But she added that she had forgiven him “a long time ago because I knew for a fact that if I had to hold on to my anger I wouldn't survive.”