For most athletes competing in Beijing, breaking a leg the day
before their main event would be a career-crushing setback.
However, if the athlete was a Paralympian, it might mean nothing
more than tugging off the damaged remains and dropping them at the
Otto Bock repair shop to be picked up, whole and ready to race, a
few hours later. Since 1988, Otto Bock Healthcare, Duderstadt,
Germany, has sent teams of highly trained orthotic and prosthetic
technicians to offer onsite equipment triage at every summer and
winter Paralympic games. According to Otto Bock, this year’s
delegation will include 86 men and women from 30 international Otto
Bock subsidiaries, who will work side-by-side with 30 Chinese
technicians who hope to tune their own skills by learning from the
westerners.
