The IPC and Otto Bock present a joint exhibition.
Bonn / Duderstadt. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Otto Bock HealthCare will bring a new attraction to the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver (March 12 through 21, 2010): In downtown Whistler, the partners are presenting an exhibition on topics related to the Paralympics entitled "Spirit in Motion - Discover, what moves us". The interactive exhibition is open to all visitors and will offer information on the history of the Paralympic movement and various sports, background knowledge about medical technology and opportunities for participation, for example in sledge ice hockey.
Nearly 600 athletes from 64 nations are competing for gold, silver and bronze in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, the biathlon, sledge ice hockey and wheelchair curling at the X. Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. The idea for an interactive exhibition away from the competition venues and slopes was conceived by the partners during International Paralympic Day in the summer of 2009 in Berlin.
"We have always wanted to offer the many spectators an opportunity to gain greater awareness through conscious dialogue with the issue of disability. It’s important to know that there can’t be any athletic performance without regaining everyday mobility in the first place. The IPC responded very favourably to this idea after a visit to the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology in Berlin," is how Professor Hans Georg Näder, owner and CEO of Otto Bock HealthCare, describes the birth of the concept.
A self-supporting hemisphere, the so-called Snow Dome, is being constructed in Whistler especially for the exhibition. Visitors to the Snow Dome will encounter four different topics on approximately 120 square metres: A timeline describes the development of sports for the disabled since 1948 and illustrates the highlights of the Paralympic movement.
Sports and everyday life for people with limited mobility constitute another focal point; devices from the C-Leg® leg prosthesis system to wheelchairs are presented in a comprehensible manner. Sports for people with disabilities can be experienced in the form of sledge ice hockey; visitors will attempt to score a goal while strapped into an original ice hockey sledge from Otto Bock. The Paralympic Lounge, which offers video presentations on various sports and past Paralympic Games, forms the conclusion of the interactive exhibition.
"We are proud to realise this unique exhibition in conjunction with our long-term partner. This also represents a new step for the IPC. Helping people experience the Paralympic spirit suggests itself. Spirit in Motion encourages spectators to get involved and participate," is how Sir Philip Craven, President of the IPC and a successful former disabled athlete himself, describes the position of the IPC.
When darkness falls, the exterior of the exhibition facility becomes a presentation in its own right. Using sophisticated lighting technology, quotations and wordplays by the most successful athletes will be visible on the dome from afar while ice crystals will course over the facade.
But the IPC and Otto Bock are already planning beyond Vancouver 2010: The modular exhibition concept can be updated quickly and expanded at any time. Interested sponsors and partners of the Paralympic movement will have access to the exhibition in the future in order to promote sports for the disabled and a barrier-free society. The exhibits were developed in close cooperation between the IPC, Otto Bock and the agency ART+COM, which is already responsible for the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology Berlin.
For more information on the exhibition "Spirit in Motion - Discover, what moves us" in Whistler, please contact:
International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
Steffi Klein
Media and Communications Senior Manager
Phone: (0228) 2097230
E-mail: steffi.klein@paralympic.org
Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH
Dirk Artmann
Director of Corporate Communication / Company Spokesman
Phone: (05527) 848-3036, Fax: (05527) 848-3360
E-mail: dirk.artmann@ottobock.de
www.ottobock.com
