By Tom Degun at Trafalgar Square in London

Professor_Hans_Georg_Nder_08-09-11September 8 - Otto Bock Healthcare, the Official Prosthetic, Orthotic and Wheelchair Technical Service Provider of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, have today revealed the principal members of their technical team, which will support all athletes at the Paralympic Games.


The unveiling was designed to coincide with International Paralympic Day, which is being staged here today by London 2012 - where Otto Bock has a pop-up stand the public can visit.

Otto Bock's technical team will be directed by a six-strong leadership team headed by Professor Hans Georg Näder (pictured) who is the President and chief executive of the Otto Bock Group.

Näder has led Otto Bock's relationship with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for many years and is a close friend of its President Sir Philip Craven.

"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," said Näder.

"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."

Näder will be joined on the six-person London 2012 international leadership team by managing director of Otto Bock UK Philip Yates who will be project lead.

The two technical directors on the leadership team will be Harry Zenner - who has been at Otto Bock for over 25 years - and Ken Hurst who is a certified prosthetist with over 30 years' experience in the prosthetics industry.

The leadership team is completed by two organising directors in the form of Peter Franzel who is the head of worldwide events and exhibitions at Otto Bock and Andre Muller who is the regional liaison manager for Otto Bock Asia Pacific.

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.

Directed by Näder's leadership team, they will oversee the delivery of technical services to the approximate 4,200 athletes expected to compete.

The main workshop in the Paralympic village will open one week before the Opening Ceremony on August 29.

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.

London 2012 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, as well as coordinating 15,000 spare parts and replacing 2,000 wheelchair tyres.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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