The multiple Paralympic Games gold medallist will also compete in the 4x400m relay, and will join 25 other athletes selected by South Africa.

Pistorius said: "I am thrilled to have been announced on the South African team today to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu in the 400m and 4x400m relay.

"I have dreamt for such a long time of competing in a major Championships and this is a very proud moment in my life.

"It is an honour to be representing my country at such a prestigious event and I hope to do my best at the competition for South Africa. I am training hard in preparation for the event and I am looking forward to the Championships immensely.

"This will be the highest-profile and most prestigious able-bodied event which I have ever competed in and I will face the highest-calibre of athletes from across the planet.

"If I manage to make it through the heats, I would be thrilled, a good performance for me would be to be consistent through the heats.

"If I ran anywhere close to my PB, I would be delighted."

Pistorius set a personal best time last month at a meet in northern Italy, which ensured he met the qualifying time for both the World Championships and the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Other athletes making their way to Daegu will include women's 800m world champion Caster Semenya, who will hope to defend her crown with less controversy than that which met her after she claimed the 2009 title.

Men's 800m world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and 400m hurdler LJ van Zyl will also be competing in South Korea.

Pistorius is only able to compete in the Worlds because of a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal against the IAAF ruling that he was ineligible to compete in able-bodied competition because his carbon fibre blades gave him an unfair advantage.

CAS cleared him to compete in 2008, though he failed to qualify for either the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 or the 2009 World Championships.

Pistorius' 45.07sec run last month in Lignano meant that he was just inside the time required to qualify for the championships, which take place from August 27 to September 4.

ASA President James Evans said: "With 11 athletes competing for the first time at this level we are very clearly looking to 2012 and beyond.

"We selected all those athletes who fulfilled the qualification criteria."

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