Physiotherapist, Tim Ryan of Davenport House Clinic, Stalybridge, Manchester flies to Beijing

Tim Ryan flies out to Beijing with the BG wheelchair Rugby Team

Local Resident, Tim Ryan from Davenport House Clinic in Stalybridge is hoping more than most for a medal for Great Britain's Wheelchair Rugby squad. Tim is a physiotherapist for the team and has accompanied them around the world, and seen them win a number of high profile tournaments, including the European Wheelchair Rugby Championships. He will be travelling with the squad to the Beijing Paralympic Games, which directly follow the Olympic Games and begin in September.

The Paralympic Games emphasise the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability, and are elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups.

The paralympic games has grown imensly since its first days in Rome where 400 althetes from 23 countries took part. In Athens in 2004, 3806 altheltes from 136 countries took part and that number is only set to increase for the Beijing Paralymics.

Tim will have the added responsibility of being the official team mechanic whilst out in Beijing, and will be making sure that the custom built rugby wheelchairs are performing to as high a level as possible throughout the tournament, and as wheelchair rugby is a full wheelchair contact sport, its a task Tim isn't taking lightly, "There are always plenty of punctured tyres, broken spokes and bent axles to keep me busy!".

Tim and the rest of the team have been preparing hard before they fly out next week, "Its been really hard work getting everything and everyone prepared, but moral in the squad is high and the team have been in superb form leading up to our departure. After seeeing the opening ceremony for the Olympics last week, I can't wait to be part of the opening ceremony for the Paralmpics."

When not treating players or fixing wheelchairs, Tim is a physiotherapist at the newly opened Davenport House Clinic in Stalybridge.