Athletes prepare for 2012 Summer Paralympics at the Paralympic Fitness Centre

Monday, August 27, 2012 

London, England — As Paralympians ready for the Games which are set to open later this week, they have access to a world class fitness center inside the Paralympic Village which is designed to maximise their pre-Game preparations.

According to volunteers staffing the center, instead of being a single large room, as in Beijing, the building has numerous rooms. It, along with the adjacent Village Services Centre, is designed to be converted into a school after the games conclude. Rooms have been structured as a gym, an auditorium, and science laboratories.

Gym equipment is supplied by Technogym, an Italian firm that has supplied gym equipment for the Olympics since 2000. Equipment has been provided not just for for the Fitness Centre, but for gyms at all the Olympic venues. The newest equipment is oriented toward maximum flexibility, allowing athletes to exercise the particular muscles that they most require for their sport.

In addition to the equipment, the Fitness Centre also provides instructors trained in the use of the equipment, the likes of which athletes from many countries have never seen before. There are also a number of instructors available to provide motivational training.

Weights are available for use
Image: Hawkeye7.

A Thailand competitor uses the Gym
Image: Hawkeye7.

Items to help train with
Image: Hawkeye7.

A sink inside the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.

Some one from Team GB using a stepping machine
Image: Hawkeye7.

A Paralympian in the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.

An Australian trains in the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.

A radio is available inside the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.

Weights wait for people to use them inside the Paralympic Village Gym
Image: Hawkeye7.