Winter Olympic Games 2010
Thuringian know-how in the Olympic villages: Bauerfeind available for every athlete, 28.02.2010
As a "Friend of the Games", Bauerfeind AG was breaking new ground at the Winter Olympic Games 2010: the Thuringian manufacturer of medical products had a presence in the polyclinics of both Olympic villages, making itself available to injured athletes of all participating nations for the very first time. The Olympians received supports and orthoses "Made in Germany" from Zeulenroda.
The Olympic villages in Vancouver and Whistler saw particular demand for Bauerfeind products for the knee and back. "Once the snowboarding and freestyle skiing competitions and the ice-hockey tournament got under way, the number of injuries rose sharply," explained Lars Birnbaum, Olympics project manager at Bauerfeind. In the end, the demand for individual products in the polyclinics was so great that the two Bauerfeind teams had to call for additional supplies in various sizes from the company's headquarters in Zeulenroda a good week before the end of the Games. "We didn't want to have to turn any injured athletes away, we wanted to offer a 100 percent service right up to the end. We managed to do that perfectly," Lars Birnbaum added. Thanks to sewing machines, Bauerfeind's orthotists were also able to make individual customized adjustments to products and even the athletes' equipment.
In all, Bauerfeind products – whether supports and orthoses or medical compression stockings – were used preventatively or in the event of injury just over 400 times at this year's Winter Games. The stockings are now standard issue for the majority of German athletes, at least for flights. Bauerfeind has been kitting the German Olympic teams out as an official supplier since 2001, and has run an orthotic service station on site at all Games since then.
"Our Bauerfeind station in the German House in Vancouver again proved its worth as the first port of call for athletes and their support staff, and of course it was open to guests as well," reported Lars Birnbaum. Politicians, officials and representatives from business took the trouble to find out more about the Thuringian company's services. Bauerfeind's first guests included DOSB president Dr. Thomas Bach, who had with him Danny Jordaan, chief organizer of the soccer World Cup in South Africa. Werner E. Klatten, CEO of Sporthilfe, the German sports foundation, visited the German House and consulted the Bauerfeind team. Thuringia's premier Christine Lieberknecht dropped in, along with a delighted silver-medal winner David Möller. The luger was also a guest at the international Bauerfeind physicians’ meeting. In addition to almost the entire Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), team physicians and physios of a number of different nations took advantage of the opportunity to swap stories and experience. Jack Taunton recalled the first international Bauerfeind physicians’ meeting in Beijing in August 2008. The senior physician in the Canadian Organizing Committee, VANOC, had been so convinced by the product and service quality of the Thuringian medical supply manufacturer that he offered Bauerfeind a partnership for 2010 there and then. Taunton thanked Bauerfeind for its commitment as a "Friend of the Games". His conclusion looked back on the work performed in the two polyclinics: "It was lucky that we met!"
Contact:
Simone Gebler
Corporate Communications
Bauerfeind AG
Triebeser Straße 16
07937 Zeulenroda-Triebes
Tel. +49 (0) 36628-66-16 35
Fax +49 (0) 36628-66-12 06
