“Overcoming yourself” – these words best describe the Paralympic Games held in Paris, where 4,400 Paralympic athletes from all around the world competed in 23 different sports.

“A unique spirit was felt here – the athletes didn’t come for medals, not to defeat others, but primarily to defeat themselves,” shares Vilija Ruškienė, a physiotherapist-orthopedic technologist from the company “Ortopedijos technika,” who was part of the Ottobock technical service team at the games.

This year’s Paralympic Games technical service team consisted of 164 members from 41 countries, speaking 32 languages. Throughout the games, 3,010 technical service visits were recorded. More than 55% of these were wheelchair repairs, 17% involved orthopedic braces, nearly 15% were for prosthetics services, and the remaining 13% involved fitting braces, orthopedic insoles, and other equipment repairs.

“It was very interesting to be part of such a grand event, to see how much staff works, and how much medical and technical equipment is needed for Paralympians to be able to participate and compete in the games. I was particularly impressed by how the Paralympians care for and support each other and how they have fun together. The Paralympic Games are not just about sports. It’s an extraordinary event where physical disability unlocks other enormous human powers,” our colleague Vilija Ruškienė believes.