A TECHNICIAN based at Brighton General Hospital is flying to Brazil next month to work at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

Barry Myers, 49, is a prosthetist and orthotic technician working at the Sussex Rehabilitation Centre, which operates from the hospital in Elm Grove.

The Paralympics was in doubt at one stage because Rio's organising committee had not raised enough money to fund the event.

This was due to Brazil's struggling economy and the fact that only 12 per cent of available tickets had so far been sold for the Games, which start on September 7.

 But Rio's mayor Eduardo Paes has secured an additional £36 million of funding and £24 million in sponsorship from state-run companies after an injunction was lifted that had blocked further state aid for the Games.

Barry, a soccer referee who lives in Eastbourne, said he can't wait to get on the plane.

He said: "It is a great honour to have been chosen. My role will be to offer technical support to the athletes, basically maintaining and repairing where required.

"I will be on hand if any equipment fails or repairs are needed, for example to wheelchairs. I will be part of a very specialist team."

Barry works for Ottobock, a manufacturer of wheelchairs, rehabilitation and medical products based in Germany.

He said: "They sent out an email to all staff about 18 months ago, and I was delighted to be one of only two chosen from the whole of the country.

"There will be 100 technicians in Rio from 31 different countries so it will be an amazing once in a lifetime experience.

"I am spending the first three days supporting the table tennis event and from there I will go onto the triathlon and marathon.

"It will be a big responsibility, make no mistake about that, but I am really looking forward to it. It is a part of the world I have never been to before."

Barry has spent 30 years in this occupation, having trained at the world-famous Roehampton Centre.