For para-athletes,this service station is vital

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.

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.

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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 dont 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 cant 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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