A United Nations committee rejected a Frenchman's appeal of his country's ban on dwarf tossing on the grounds it violated his human rights.

The 18-member UN Human Rights Committee, which oversees implementation of a 1976 treaty on civil and political rights, backed the French government's contention that the ban was necessary to protect human dignity and public order.

Manuel Wackenheim--a 3-foot-10-inch stuntman known as "Mr. Skyman"--said he was a victim of discrimination and that the ban violated his personal freedom, failed to respect his privacy and kept him from making a living.

The real basis of human dignity, he had said, was being able to work, adding that jobs for dwarves were scarce in France.

"The ban applies only to dwarves," the committee said in announcing its ruling Friday in Geneva. "The reason simply is that they are the only individuals likely to be tossed.

"The distinction between those to whom the ban applies and those who are excluded . . . is based on an objective judgment and is not discriminatory."

Dwarf tossing, a barroom activity that originated in Australia, involves patrons paying to throw a dwarf--who wears a harness with handles, a crash helmet and padding--onto a mattress. The longest toss wins.