As part of its 50th anniversary celebration this year, Otto Bock Healthcare made things a little easier for the 4,000 athletes participating in the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The prosthetics, seating & mobility manufacturer provided repair and support surfaces in the athletes’ village and at 13 competition sites. Otto Bock has attended the Paralympic Games for the last 20 years, going back to the Seoul, South Korea, event.

“I am pleased that Otto Bock is once again in charge of providing technical services for our athletes,” said International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven, who called the athletes “wonderful role models for people with and without disabilities.”

The 86-member Otto Bock support team was made up of members from 30 international Otto Bock subsidiaries. Fifty prosthetic experts from China also worked alongside the Otto Bock team to help athletes and to gain additional professional training.

Founded in Germany in 1919, Otto Bock is commemorating 50 years of American operations this year. Among the company’s golden anniversary activities was an essay contest that invited participants to share stories about maintaining and restoring human independence.