Otto Bock Healthcare, the Official Prosthetic, Orthotic and Wheelchair Technical Service Provider of the London 2012 Paralympic Games today, 8th September 2011, unveiled the principal members of its technical team that will be supporting all athletes at the Paralympic Games. The unveiling will be as part of International Paralympic Day (IPD), an exciting public event to be hosted by The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) at Trafalgar Square in London.
Throughout the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Otto Bock Healthcare will provide a team of 80 technicians that will play a pivotal role in ensuring the Paralympic athletes are able to perform to their fullest potential. The Technical Service Team will provide athletes with immediate repairs for prosthetics, orthoses and wheelchairs, operating out of three repair centres in the Athletes’ village; nine workshops across the venues and one mobile unit. This team will be headed up by a group of highly experienced logistical and operational managers with many years of Games’ experience, who will oversee the delivery of technical services to the approximate 4200 athletes expected to compete.
The main workshop in the Paralympic village will open one week before the opening ceremony. Nine tonnes of equipment will be unpacked and assembled in two days to ensure the workshop is open before the start of competition to take care of any adjustments to equipment required following transit, as the athletes make their final preparations. This will be Otto Bock’s 12th Paralympic Games and the team will oversee as many as 2,000 repairs for athletes from over 120 countries; co-ordinate 15,000 spare parts; and replace 2000 wheelchair tyres.
Otto Bock’s International Leadership Team consists of:
• Professor Hans George Nader, President & CEO of Otto Bock Group – Prof. Nader has led Otto Bock’s relationship with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for many years and is Otto Bock’s principal head at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
• Philip Yates, Project Lead – As Managing Director of Otto Bock UK since 1993, Phil has successfully and consistently grown Otto Bock’s presence in the UK over the years; he will be the principal UK project lead for the International Leadership Team.
• Harry Zenner, Technical Director – With over 50 years’ orthopaedic experience, 25 years of which at Otto Bock in Benelux, Harry managed the Otto Bock workshop at the Winter Paralympic Games in Torino and again at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
• Ken Hurst, Technical Director – A certified prosthetist with over 30 years’ experience in the prosthetics industry, Ken is registered on the Health Professions Council and heads up the Otto Bock Academy in the UK.
• Peter Franzel, Organising Director – Peter’s experience as Head of Worldwide events and exhibitions at Otto Bock and as assistant to the organising director at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games means he has a host of logistical planning experience.
• Andre Muller - Organising Director – As Regional Liaison Manager for Otto Bock Asia Pacific and with experience of Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Andre will be responsible for operational details including planning and equipping the workshops.
Professor Hans George Nader, President and CEO of Otto Bock Healthcare, states, "Providing quality technical service for the London 2012 Paralympic Games is integral to the success of all athletes and no other organisation has the same breadth of experience and the depth of knowledge as Otto Bock. We’ve been at the forefront of technical innovation for almost 100 years and have been providing technical service to the Paralympic Games since 1988. All Paralympic athletes competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games can be confident that whatever their technical needs, they will be understood and expertly looked after by our leadership team and technicians working throughout our workshops."
International Paralympic Day, 8th September 2011
International Paralympic Day, a showcase of the 20 Paralympic summer sports with athletes on hand to share their knowledge, will provide an ideal stage for Otto Bock to unveil its International Leadership Team, as well as demonstrating in practical terms what will be involved at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Otto Bock’s mobile workshop will be present to provide insight into the set up and equipment that will be used to support Paralympians in the Athletes’ village; technicians will also exhibit the types of repairs they expect to see from competing Paralympic athletes.
For more information on Otto Bock’s range of innovative solutions that restore mobility, please visit www.ottobock.co.uk or follow @ottobockuk on Twitter.