Ceramic ball bearings help speed up Paralympic racing wheelchairs

From August 28 to September 8, 2024, the 17th Paralympic Games will be held in Paris, France. China has sent 284 athletes to compete in 19 sports and leads the medal tally so far with 34 gold MEDALS. Once again, the global audience was amazed by the extraordinary performances of disabled athletes, and the technological innovation behind them was equally remarkable. The fast movement of racing wheelchairs has become a hot topic of discussion, and behind this achievement, there is a significant contribution from SKF ceramic ball bearings.

The Paralympic spirit of "courage, determination, inspiration and equality" not only inspires every athlete with disabilities, but also brings positive energy to the world. "Athletes with disabilities, like non-disabled athletes, are motivated by a love of their sport and a desire to win, excel and set records," said Ines Lopes, head of elite programmes at the Swedish Para Sports Federation.

Although athletes with disabilities may have physical or intellectual disabilities, they participate in forms of sports similar to able-bodied people, except that they use customized equipment and follow adjusted competition rules. Some programs are designed specifically for athletes with disabilities.

"Persons with disabilities have the same right to participate in sports as able-bodied persons. One of the challenges is to integrate disability sports into the regular physical education curriculum in schools." Johan Strider, general secretary of the Swedish Disabled Sports Federation. "It will take time and sustained efforts, such as changing parents' overprotective attitudes toward children with disabilities."

Strider added that Sweden has made progress in promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in society, and now it is time to further promote disability sports programs. "In order to achieve this, we have set up professional federations, led by the Swedish Sports Federation, to manage 18 different disability sports and to try to integrate them into individual sports associations, such as football under the Football Association and athletics under the jurisdiction of the Athletics Association," he said.

The first sports to be included in their respective federations include football, swimming and table tennis. Joint training has already begun.

Lopez also noted that finding enough training time to compete at a high level is a common challenge for athletes with disabilities. Very few can train full-time. "It is almost impossible to make a living from sport in Sweden, especially in the field of disability sports, even at the top level. There are some professional wheelchair basketball leagues in Germany and they are very popular, but we haven't reached that stage yet."

Since 2015, SKF has been a sponsoring partner of the Swedish Paralympic Sports Federation and the Swedish Paralympic Committee, providing financial and technical support. This support has helped the Federation promote the popularity of disability sports and encourage young people with disabilities to participate in sports. Technical assistance has focused on improving the performance of equipment, particularly wheelchairs.

"The cooperation with SKF is very important for us. Thanks to SKF's support, our equipment materials have been improved and athletes have experienced improved performance." Lopez said. For top athletes, even a small time difference can make the difference between winning and losing. For example, the wheelchair used by top disabled athlete Genilla Wallengreen in 2015 was equipped with SKF's special hybrid ceramic ball bearings, which are designed with ceramic balls bearings,which are designed with ceramic balls and nylon cages,which provide less friction than all-steel bearings.