How Is 3D Printing Being Used at the Paralympic Games?

Sport is for everyone and therefore should be accessible to all, regardless of individual conditions and limitations. Nevertheless, sports are often associated with performance, and in order to achieve this, physical integrity is wrongly assumed to be a basic requirement. That this is not the case is proven by all the Paralympic athletes who, despite their personal limitations and in some cases with the help of technological means – including 3D printing – achieve extraordinary sporting performances and demonstrate them to the general public at the Paralympic Games.

In fact, sports and associations for athletes with disabilities have existed for more than 100 years. A major contribution to what we know today as the Paralympic Games was made by Dr. Ludwig Guttmann with the establishment of a spinal injury center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he used sports competitions to rehabilitate wounded soldiers. These Stoke Mandeville Games are the basis of the Paralympic Games, which were officially recognized by the IOC in 1984. “Para” is derived from the Greek ‘beside’ and implies that the Olympic and Paralympic Games exist and are held side by side.

The Paralympic Games date back to the 20th century Stoke Mandeville Games (photo credits: Simon Bruty, OIS-IOC)

Since the beginning of the Paralympics, athletes with different physical and cognitive impairments have taken part in the competitions, divided into different groups depending on the type of disability. There are also classification systems for each discipline to ensure fair competitions. Athletes competing in the same classified category must have similar functional abilities in terms of movement, coordination and balance.