Packing was mentioned for the first time last night. On the one hand, that seems a little early. After all, the games do not end until after the closing ceremonies this Wednesday. On the other hand, timely planning for the trip back is probably justified. Many are going home with more than they took along on the flight to Beijing. Kirsten Bruhn for example. How will the five medals she collected in the "Water Cube" affect the weight of her carry-on luggage? After all, each of these medals is quite heavy. We had the privilege of briefly holding some of them here in the Otto Bock workshop. In addition to her two silver medals, Natalie Simanowski has also packed both her racing cycles for the flight. What will remain of the Paralympics here in Beijing?

Taxis for the disabled, for example. Xiu Guiqing operates one of these. The fact that their appearance is reminiscent of the British taxi design is no coincidence. They were converted for use by the disabled in a taxi factory in Eastern China. The vehicles from automaker Austin are enriching traffic in Beijing. Not only because wheelchair drivers can now comfortably travel by taxi. They are also the only taxis that can be ordered by telephone around here. Fares are identical to those for other taxis. Xiu Guiqing tells us there is no charge for the incoming trip during the Paralympics.

He received a month of supplementary training in order to learn the details of transporting people with disabilities. Xiu also took a course in speaking English. Now he has been operating the taxi for a government-run taxi company for a month. "I'm seeing between one and three trips with wheelchair drivers per day," he says, illustrating that word of the service still needs to get around. The number of people with disabilities in Beijing is estimated at around one million. However, this figure only includes relatively severe disabilities. Otherwise, the number out of a population of 16 million people in China's third-largest city would be even higher.

The driver says there are 30 of these English taxis in Beijing. Ten panel vans are also equipped to transport the disabled, as well as 50 to 60 VW Santanas from the 3000 series.

Something else that will remain in Beijing is most of the equipment from the Otto Bock workshop. The organization committee BOCOG will ensure that the machines and tools go where they can do the most good. Tomorrow I hope to have concrete details regarding another transfer of technology. Our technicians at the racetrack reported that hand-bikers from the USA want to support the sole competitor from Burkina Faso in Central Africa. This Paralympics story illustrates that our workshop has become a hub for sustained multicultural contact. And that is another legacy of these Paralympics.

Karin Evers-Meyer, German Federal Disability Officer, enjoyed a quick tour of the workshop during her visit about an hour ago. Before she immortalized herself on the signature board, she said something we can only agree with whole-heartedly: "If something like this did not exist, it would have to be invented."

PS: Our warmest thanks to Johnny Ehrling for the interview with Xiu Guiqing!