Stuttgart Exchange Hosts Team USA Para Swimming Team Ahead of Paris 2024

U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart had the honor of hosting 33 athletes from Team USA’s para swimming team for training ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games.

The team trained at Stuttgart for a week ahead of the start of the Paralympic Games in August, joined by U.S. Olympic Committee staff and Joint Staff personnel. This marks the second time Stuttgart has hosted the para swimming team, having welcomed them ahead of the London 2012 games.

The Exchange’s Mobilezone and TKS concessionaires provided athletes with vital equipment to make their stay in Germany more enjoyable and productive.

Mobilezone provided prepaid SIM cards for mobile phones, and TKS offered travel adapters for European wall plugs, two-month vouchers for easyTV, allowing athletes to watch U.S. programming on their devices, and 5G WiFi hotspots with unlimited data.

From left: Jamal Hill, McKenzie Coan and Lizzi Smith of the U.S. Parlympic swimming team during a meet-and-greet at Panzer Kaserne.

“The Exchange was honored to help provide some of these creature comforts to these amazing athletes,” said Tina Eakin, EUCOM Consolidated Exchange services business manager. “It all helped make their transition from the U.S. to Germany and France feel a little more like home.”

The stay in Stuttgart helped the athletes bond as teammates and adjust to the time zone change before competition began.

The community got involved as well. More than 100 attendees got the opportunity to see Paralympic athletes McKenzie Coan, Jamal Hill, David Abrahams, Elizabeth Smith and Army Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks during a meet-and-greet at the Panzer Exchange.

“Seeing all of our teammates and partners on post come together to make this a comfortable and productive stay for our national team athletes was very special,” said Robin Boylan, EUCOM Consolidated Exchange general manager. “We were thrilled to provide them with some tastes of home to help them enjoy their time in Germany and prepare for their best in Paris.”

The U.S. para swimming team went on to earn 30 total medals in Paris, including 10 golds, the fourth most out of 33 competing countries.

Three-time Paralympian Lizzi Smith greets children at Panzer Kaserne.