Paralympics sparks prosthetic biz
At the 2026 Winter Paralympics athletes are turning prosthetic tweaks into businesses — and on‑site rapid‑repair shops like Ottobock’s Cortina unit are delivering real‑time fixes that keep competitors in play and reshape sports‑rehab logistics [](https://reuters.com/sports/broken-kit-no-problem-paralympics-rapidrepair-lifeline-2026-03-13).
Ottobock deployed an 86‑member team to staff three workshops in Milan, Cortina and Predazzo for the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Paralympics said), and organisers added six mobile service stations at competition venues to handle in‑field issues reported). Technicians transported about nine tons of machinery and thousands of spare parts to the Games reported) and had already completed more than 200 repairs during the pre‑opening phase, including wheel replacements and prosthesis screw adjustments noted). Three‑time Paralympian Mike Schultz’s company BioDapt supplied sport‑specific prosthetic components expected to be worn by roughly 25 athletes at Milano‑Cortina 2026 profiled), after Schultz founded the firm in 2010 following his own limb loss and years of garage‑built prototypes documented). On‑site teams handled everything from quick 10‑minute fixes to custom six‑hour fabrications (a wrist brace), and worked with welding, grinding and socket‑shaping equipment to keep competitors ready during training and competition described).
