The Rotunda

Issue date: 10/22/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: beijingolympicsblog.files.wordpress.com

The Paralympic Games, held in Beijing from Sept. 6 through 17, are not really all that different from the Olympics. Athletes use the same housing, competition arenas and facilities, and of course, they are all there to represent their country and win a medal. Dr. Katherine Dec, who works with students in the athletic training major, had the opportunity to work as a medical staff person at the Paralympics and she visited Athletic Training Education Program Director Sharon Menegoni's class on Thursday, Oct. 9, to share her experiences.
 
During the Paralympics Dec worked with the US rowing team and stayed in the Olympic village with the team, as all medical personnel were on call 24 hours a day. While the US delegation brought most of their own equipment, Dec said she was impressed with what was provided to meet the needs of the Paralympic athletes.
 
More than 44,000 Chinese medical students volunteered to work the games, and facilities were equipped to perform MRIs and CT scans, and fully-stocked pharmacies and vision and dental centers were available. All counter and table spaces in the dining areas were low enough to be wheelchair accessible, and showers were wheelchair accessible as well. For public transportation within the village, rows of seats were cleared out of buses with block for people in wheelchairs to park. Special wheelchair-accessible rickshaws and taxis were also available for the athletes to go sightseeing around Beijing.
 
Although the Paralympics did not receive as much media coverage, security and local support were just as strong as they were for the Olympics. Dec said, "They filled every single stadium every single event. It was amazing how many people turned out." A secret service person was assigned to each US sports team, and every person in and around the competition area was required to have official credentials just like at the Olympics.
 
Dec also talked about some of the specific adaptations that have to be made for athletes. For example, some cyclists are strapped into their bicycles and use a hand pedal because of a spinal cord injury or an amputation. Sit volleyball, for athletes who cannot stand or jump, uses a smaller court and a lower net. For rowers, there are crash pads and floating docks for athletes to transfer from wheelchairs onto the pad and then into their boats. Rowers in the Paralympics use the same standard boats and oars that are used in the Olympics, but they are allowed to have pontoons on the side of the boat for increased stability, since some athletes cannot use their lower extremities for balance. There are also the usual Olympic sports like basketball, fencing, and track and field.
 
There are also some additional sports that the Olympics doesn't offer like rugby and goal ball. For athletes with visual impairments, goal ball puts a noise-making device inside a ball that allows the visually-impaired athletes to hear the ball, which allows them to block the other team from scoring. In addition to having the words "Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games" in Chinese and English, the Paralympics medals also have the same phrase in Braille.
 
Dec also spoke about the opportunities for getting involved in athletic training for national sports teams. After a two-week rotation at the Olympic training center in 1997, Dec went into a pool of applicants and was not called until 1999. She then had the opportunity to work at the Pan Am Games, as well as events in Switzerland and Cuba. Although medical staff do not get paid for these events, they do get free airfare, lodging, food and apparel, as well as the experience of a lifetime.

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