Cape Town, Aug 19 (IANS): South African authorities have suspended the decision to release Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius from prison on Friday.

The Justice Ministry of the country said the move to release the athlete after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence "was taken prematurely" and with "no legal basis", reports BBC.

The decision has now been sent back to the parole board for review.

Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter last year for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he said he mistook for an intruder.

It is not clear whether the decision on his early release could be reinstated before Friday, should the parole board meet to review its decision.

Pistorius was born without the fibulas in both of his legs, and had surgery to amputate both legs below the knee while he was still a baby.

He went on to become one of South Africa's best-known sports stars, and was the first amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.

The double amputee shot and killed Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home, believing she was an intruder, he told his trial.