Photograph: Werner Schmidt

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Ottobock will Fix it!

Danny McBride was the only oarsman representing New Zealand at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta at Lake Dorney.

While we admire the athletes competing at the Paralympic Games in London (and where the Rowing ended on last Sunday), it is easy to forget that these sportsmen and -women might be in special need of repairs, maintenance and technical support for their equipment. In rowing, it might be the rower’s boat or his or her wheelchair that he/she uses to get to the boat. Here is where Ottobock Healthcare steps in. This company provides technical service to the 2012 Paralympic Games, the website SourceWire writes in a interesting article. The website states that Ottobock Healthcare so far, after five days of competing, has completed 1,761 repairs.

One of the Ottobock Healthcare team members, Emily Harrison, tells SourceWire:

“The majority of the equipment we have repaired comes from athletes who are spending lots of time by the water. Damp conditions at the rowing means we have to provide regular maintenance to prostheses and wheelchairs such as wheel bearings and puncture repairs. As Technical Service Provider to the Games, our role goes beyond wheelchair, prosthetic and orthotic repairs. For example, we built an interface for a double amputee to prevent friction burns whilst rowing.”

Technical service by the numbers:


Total repairs to date 1,761

Orthotic: Day five 15, total to date 101

Prosthetic: Day five 18, total to date 247

Wheelchair: Day five 194, total to date 1,413

Number of athletes serviced: Day five 162, total to date 1,282

Number of countries serviced: Total to date 121

Read the full article here.

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