The U.S. Paralympic Swimming Team will compete with 176 other countries in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and a MidAmerica Nazarene University professor will assist the team. Chris Crawford, assistant professor and director of the university's athletic training program, is the swim team's lead medical provider for the summer games, September 7 to 18.  

The 4,500 athletes in the Paralympic Games will compete in 528 medal events in 22 sports, utilizing the same venues as the Olympic games, including Athlete’s Village. Crawford and another athletic trainer will work with 31 swimmers on the U.S. team. Currently, 25 of the athletes are ranked in the top 10 in the world across 89 events.

Crawford has extensive experience with the team, having served on the medical staff for the 2014 Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Pasadena, California, as head athletic trainer for the 2015 International Paralympic Committee Swimming World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, and head athletic trainer for the 2015 ParaPan American Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has volunteered with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees since 2013.

A member of the MNU faculty since 2013, Crawford has 16 years of experience in athletic training for many sports and in all kinds of settings. He teaches classes in the athletic training, pre-physical therapy, and pre-occupational therapy programs at MNU.

Crawford, other staff members, and athletes will be in Houston, Texas, for training camp from August 26 to September 1 before leaving for Rio de Janeiro September 2.

--MidAmerica Nazarene University