Oscar Pistorius hospitalised for medical examination Published duration 3 August 2017

image copyright AFP image caption Pistorius was a global sporting icon before his conviction for the murder of his girlfriend

Jailed former Olympian Oscar Pistorius has been taken to hospital, authorities have confirmed.

Pistorius was jailed for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

An official statement confirmed that Pistorius "was this morning taken to an outside hospital establishment for medical examination".

Details of Pistorius' condition were not released, but he is expected to remain in hospital overnight.

A spokesman for South Africa's correctional services told broadcaster SABC that there was "nothing out of the ordinary" in Pistorius' hospitalisation.

The corrections service also played down earlier media reports that Pistorius had been suffering from "chest pains".

"I am not aware of [that report] or what he suffered from," a spokesman told Reuters news agency.

The former athlete quickly rose to fame in the Paralympics, and made headlines when he became the first track and field athlete to compete in both the Paralympic and Olympic Games - racing against non-disabled athletes.

But in February 2013, he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp at his home, alleging that he had mistaken her for an intruder.