Source title: More than 40 technical elites provide services There is a special “4S” shop in the Paralympic Village
In the wheelchair and prosthetic repair center of Yanqing Winter Paralympic Village, female technician Xiaomin is working on an athlete’s protective gear in front of a sewing machine. “Some athletes have to sit in wheelchairs for a long time and have to keep their shoulders buckled. In order to relieve pain, we A waistcoat was tailored for him.”
For disabled people, wheelchairs, prosthetics, orthoses, etc. are their personal “partners”, and for Paralympic athletes, these “partners” are even more crucial. At this Winter Olympics, 3 Winter Paralympic Villages and 5 competition venues have wheelchair and prosthetic repair service centers similar to 4S stores. More than 40 professional and technical personnel from 12 countries are on call around the clock, free of charge. Routine equipment repairs and maintenance, as well as tailor-made protective gear, etc., ensure that athletes can devote themselves to the competition.
Walking into the wheelchair and prosthetic repair service center of Yanqing Winter Paralympic Village, there are wheelchairs and crutches waiting to be repaired on the maintenance table, grinding equipment and welding workbench are all available, and tens of thousands of maintenance parts are stored in the tool cabinet. Compatible with various instruments.
“After the pre-opening of the village, our preparations began. A total of 10 technicians, including prosthetic and orthopedic technicians, wheelchair technicians and professional welders, are stationed here from 8 am to 9 pm every day. The center also provides 24-hour emergency services. The service hotline ensures that there are people around the clock.” Lei Yi, the medical manager of the Yanqing Winter Paralympic Village, introduced that the Yanqing competition area is responsible for the Paralympic alpine skiing competition, and the maintenance demand for wheelchairs and prosthetics is relatively high. increase.
During the competition, there is usually a medical team on site to protect the athletes. In case of injury, the doctor will first provide medical services for the limbs, and then the maintenance team will provide professional support for equipment problems involved. “We can not only repair wheelchairs damaged by competitions, but also replace prosthetic orthoses.” Fan Pite, head of the Wheelchair and Prosthetic Repair Service Center, introduced.
In addition to the all-round maintenance service center in the Winter Paralympic Village, there are also small maintenance stations in five competition venues including the National Gymnasium in Beijing and the National Alpine Ski Center in Yanqing, providing on-site real-time support. It has always been a tradition of the Winter Paralympic Games to provide maintenance services for sports equipment and life aids for athletes. In Paralympic snowboarding, Paralympic biathlon, Paralympic ice hockey and other sports, the maintenance center is expected to provide more than 500 maintenance services for athletes before and during the competition.
Heinrich Popov repairs equipment for athletes.Photo by Li Junxuan
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Repairman is a world champion
Among the more than 40 professional and technical personnel, many have an indissoluble bond with the Paralympic Games. Pick up the special small file to sharpen the joint, and tighten the joint with a screwdriver… In just a few minutes, the prosthetic and orthopedic technician Heinrich Popov completed the maintenance of a prosthesis. As the event with the most physical contact and collision in the Winter Paralympic Games, in the Winter Paralympic ice hockey competition, prosthetic limbs are often damaged. Heinrich Popov has been stationed at the National Stadium since the official opening of the wheelchair prosthesis repair station on March 3.
Heinrich Popov was an athlete with a lower extremity disability. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, he won a silver medal. He has won two more gold medals at the London and Rio Paralympics since. That’s why he knows what disabled athletes need. “Athletes are actually very nervous. If the prosthesis is damaged, the tension will increase.” Heinrich Popov’s prosthesis also suddenly broke before the 2008 competition. It was the pit staff who helped him, and then he was in The field won a medal.
Heinrich Popov said that sports made him accept or even forget his disability, like a kind of psychotherapy, “Although I have left the field now, I can help other athletes better realize their sports dreams. Paralympic Games Sport is all about supporting each other. Before someone helped me, now I help other athletes.”
In the Zhangjiakou Paralympic Village team, a Paralympic snowboarder silver medalist Patrick Mayerhofer also participated in the maintenance service.
“My arm was amputated, but my daily life is fine. I wear my prosthesis for about 15 hours a day, 365 days a year, but I feel like a whole person. I want to show people visiting a repair service that a prosthesis can be Do a lot of things, and maybe that inspires people to set new goals for themselves.”