For para-athletes, this service station is vital

Published>Mon, Sep 27 10 06:24 AM

This is where punctured tyres are changed, brakes replaced, ball bearings of wheels oiled at the speed of light and stressed-out prosthetic limbs aligned, re-shaped using hi-tech machines to give para-athletes the best chance of winning.

At the end of a long row of paddock-like rooms heading into the Games Village is the wheelchair centre ? which is awaiting its first paralympic athlete who will walk in with a highly-functional prosthetic limb, one that has replaced a missing body part but needs a bit of tweaking on the eve of the competition.

In all, 45 medals in Para-athletics are at stake in four disciplines; swimming, athletics, powerlifting and table tennis at these Commonwealth Games. The spic-and span main workstation is similar but smaller in size to the tool centre at motor rally service station or in the paddock of a Formula One team. In Para-games, the functionality of the prosthetic limb or the hi-tech wheelchair is vital to the performance of an athlete.

Gurpreet Kaur, a mobility solutions specialist, with the company which has set-up the service station for the para-athletes said that the centre would cater to the needs of all athletes, irrespective of which brand they used or endorse. Two technicians will be backed-up by mobility solutions specialists, like Kaur, in an effort to try and meet the servicing requirements of the hi-tech limbs or wheelchairs.

"This is where para-athletes will be able to quickly replace and repair their prosthetic limbs and their wheelchairs . Para-athletes don't get the same kind of exposure as able-bodied athletes at international Games but they have to train as hard," Kaur said. While able-bodied athletes can sense that they could be carrying an injury or need quick attention to a sprained muscle, para-athletes can't always figure out when a prosthetic limb is going to malfunction or a bearing in a wheel gets stuck or damaged.

This centre is expected to be buzzing once para-athletes start checking in for the CWG.

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