“In our 25th year as a partner to the Paralympic Games, it is a privilege to have provided technical service to athletes competing at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships”

For the first time since the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the best track and field athletes gathered to compete at the 2013 IPC World Athletics Championships in Lyon, France last week, and once again they were supported by a technical service team from the IPC’s Worldwide Paralympic Partner, Ottobock.

As a partner to the Paralympic Games since 1988 Ottobock, is entrusted by athletes for the repair and maintenance of the equipment they use to compete. A team of 10 orthotists, prosthetists and wheelchair technicians, helped make emergency repairs under the intense pressure of a competitive environment in Lyon, completing 307 repairs for athletes from 56 nations.

“In our 25th year as a partner to the Paralympic Games, it is a privilege to have provided technical service to athletes competing at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships,” said Ottobbock Chief Executive Officer and President Hans Georg Nader.

“With 49 world and 142 championship records broken, these Championships demonstrate the growing competitiveness across all disciplines and the importance of diversity and inclusion in sport – providing inspiration for people with a disability all over the world.”

Alongside the technical service facility, Ottobock operated an interactive activity zone to educate spectators on accessibility and inclusion and the history of the Paralympic Games. Visitors had the chance to try wheelchair basketball and handcycling, as well as see demonstrations of wheelchair rugby, basketball and tennis.

The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships attracted over 1,000 athletes from nearly 100 countries including Ottobock ambassador Heinrich Popow of Germany, who retained his world champion status by winning gold in the 100m T42.

In one of the most exciting race of the Championships, Popow and his great rival Scott Reardon of Australia – who also runs on an Ottobock leg – crossed the line side by side in 12.68 seconds and were both awarded the gold medal.

Ottobock is now preparing for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. As the official prosthetic, orthotic and wheelchair technical service provider, an Ottobock team of 30 technicians will be responsible for the repair and maintenance of equipment used by athletes and their teams, as well as technical officials and members of the Paralympic family.

Service will be provided from workshops in each of the Athletes’ Villages as well as the alpine and ice sledge hockey venues, supported by a mobile unit to provide remote repairs and make emergency deliveries of spare parts and equipment.