ASIA, EUROPE, SOUTH AMERICA: OTTOBOCK SUPPORTS THE WORLD OF PARA SPORTS
Heinrich Popow and the lucky participants of the European Running Clinic at the Para-EM in Berlin 2018
Thursday, 01. August 2019

Asia, Europe, South America: Ottobock supports the world of Para sports

Partnership with World Para Athletics extended / Technical Service for the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai and the Parapan American Games in Lima / 13 Running Clinics around the globe

Technical Service for the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai

Running Clinic with influencer Zainab Al-Eqabi

Official partner for the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima

Ottobock has supported Paralympic sports for more than 30 years. Besides its commitment to the Paralympic Games, the globally active medical technology company also supports athletes with disabilities. By providing technical service at international sports events and organising "Running Clinics" with Heinrich Popow, the company seeks to help people develop and live out their passion for sports. Since 2005, Ottobock has an official partnership with the IPC that was extended until the end of 2020 at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil.

At the start of this year's official athletics season, Ottobock and the international sports federation World Para Athletics confirmed their partnership. Just as at the 2017 World Championships in London and the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, the medical technology manufacturer is not only an official partner to the organiser, but is also responsible for the technical service at this year's championships in Dubai. A team of 18 technicians will be on location to support more than 1,300 athletes from more than 100 nations with their technical expertise from 7th to 15th November. "The Dubai 2019 World Para Athletics Championships also serve as a qualifying event for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. So the athletes have to focus fully on their performance, and their equipment has to be completely reliable. That's where we come in," says Peter Franzel, Director for Sports Marketing & Sponsoring.

Concurrently to the World Championships, a Running Clinic will be held in Dubai. At this event, amputees receive instruction from professionals and learn to take their first steps on sport prostheses. Paralympic gold medallist Heinrich Popow will be heading the event, supported by influencer Zainab Al-Eqabi. Born in Iraq, Al-Eqabi is an amputee and attended a Running Clinic herself in 2018. More than 1.3 million fans follow her daily posts on Instagram. "Zainab is an inspiring person. I'm delighted that she'll be supporting me at the Running Clinic this year and infusing it with her charisma. It's really important for the participants to sense that someone understands exactly how they feel. And who better than a former Running Clinic participant!" says Heinrich Popow.

The 1,850 participants at the America's biggest Para sport event—the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima/Peru—are another source of inspiration. Here, athletes from North to South America will be competing from 23rd August to 1st September in a total of 17 disciplines and hoping to qualify for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Held once every four years, the Parapan American Games are set this year to be larger than ever before. Following the involvement at the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, Ottobock will once again be providing technical services for all participants.

With the aim of helping athletes achieve their full potential, Ottobock recently signed an agreement with the organiser and is now the Official Partner of the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima. Ottobock will be on-site with a team of 27 technicians from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, the USA, Germany and Austria. The technical service will be offered on each of the 18 competition days and for eight days leading up to the official Opening Ceremony. "The Parapan American Games help to generate acceptance for Para sports in the wider public. We're proud to support the athletes and kindle fascination for Para sports in Peru, South America and the whole world," enthuses Marcelo Cuscuna, Regional President for Ottobock in Latin America.

The equipment for the workshop, consisting of spare parts, workbenches and machines, will be compiled at the Ottobock Headquarters in Duderstadt / Germany and then shipped out to Lima. But Ottobock's commitment to Para sports in Latin America won't end with the Parapan American Games. A Running Clinic, headed by the iconic Paralympic athlete Heinrich Popow, is planned from 29th November to 1st December in Mexico.

The following Running Clinics are also scheduled to take place in 2019:

  • 10 – 12 May Beijing/China

  • 25 – 27 June Moscow/Russia

  • 04 – 07 July The Netherlands

  • 23 – 25 August Tashkent/Uzbekistan

  • 20 – 22 September Baku/Azerbaijan

  • 27 – 29 September Meggen/Switzerland

  • 18 – 20 October Kobe/Japan

  • 25 – 27 October Tokyo/Japan

  • 31 October – 02 November Istanbul/Turkey

  • 14 – 16 November Dubai/United Arab Emirates

  • 22 – 24 November Riyadh/Saudi Arabia

  • 29 November – 01 December Mexico City/Mexico