Paralympics deployment with 136 technicians.
The medical technology company Otto Bock HealthCare will take over the repair services for prostheses and wheelchairs at the Paralympics from September 6 to 17, 2008 in Beijing. This means that 4,000 athletes participating in the events in the Paralympic village and at 13 competition sites may receive technical orthopaedic support by the world prosthetics leader.
Prostheses, orthoses, and wheelchairs are put under extreme strain when athletes with disabilities participate in high-performance sports. As a result, repairs are frequently required at the Paralympics and sometimes even directly on the competition site so that athletes can rely on their equipment. “This is a fascinating challenge for prosthetists,” said Professor Hans Georg Näder, chairman and CEO of Otto Bock HealthCare, after the agreement was signed.
The company has attended all summer and winter Paralympics since the 1988 games in Seoul. Otto Bock is also a global cooperation partner of the International Paralympic Committee. “I am pleased that Otto Bock is once again in charge of providing technical services for our athletes,” said Sir Philip Craven, President of the IPC. “And I sincerely hope that all the athletes achieve the personal goals they have set for themselves in Beijing. They are wonderful role models for people with and without disabilities, and they will be in the global limelight for nine days.
What started out 20 years ago in Seoul as a small operation with four technicians will be a large-scale logistics project at the 2008 games in Beijing. The multicultural team of technicians consists of 86 men and women dispatched by 30 international Otto Bock subsidiaries. 50 prosthetists from China who have completed several weeks of sports-related training to prepare for the challenges of this athletic event will also be involved. These team members will enhance their skills as they work side by side with experienced Paralympics technicians before they return to their clinics and companies in China with additional qualifications.
A significant portion of the workshop equipment, parts, and materials will be sent to Beijing by ship from Germany three months before the games. The first group of Otto Bock technicians will arrive at the end of August. “The main workshop will commence operation a week before the opening ceremonies,” explains company spokesman Joachim F. Hamacher, General Manager of the Paralympic project. This means athletes will be able to have their equipment checked before their events.
Experience has shown that athletes from developing countries, where technical support for orthopaedic equipment is still behind the times, are especially eager to take advantage of this service. The program is generally in high demand: At the Paralympics in Athens, the Otto Bock team completed 2,200 service orders and occasionally worked a night shift so that athletes would be able to start on time.
Additional information:
Joachim F. Hamacher
Director Corporate Communications / Company Spokesman
Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, Max-Näder-Str. 15, 37115 Duderstadt
Phone: (05527) 848-1239, Fax: (05527) 848-3360
E-Mail: joachim.hamacher@ottobock.de
www.ottobock.com
