WHAT:
Paralympics
WHERE:
Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, HP21 8AL, UK
LOCATION:
WHEN:
29th July 1948
WHO:
Sir Ludwig Guttmann
DETAILS:
Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the Birthplace of the Paralympics has been accredited as a World Origin Site. The Stadium owned by WheelPower is the home of the National Paralympic Heritage Trust established in July 2015 to protect and share British Paralympic Heritage. The Paralympic movement has grown from the original Stoke Mandeville Games founded in 1948 by Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. In the wake of World War II Dr. Guttmann led the establishment of the spinal injury unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. The fist games held at Stoke Mandeville were organised by Dr. Guttmann for wheelchair patients and were run in parallel to the opening day of the 1948 Olympic Games held in London. 16 injured male and female athletes took part in an archery competition. The games grew for the next event in 1952 and extended to a two day competition in 1956. The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome in 1960. Since 2014 Stoke Mandeville has hosted the Paralympic Games flame lighting ceremony.
LINKS:
Stoke Mandeville Stadium – Birthplace of the Paralympics
Dr. Ludwig Guttmann revolutionised spinal injury rehabilitation after WWII, recognising the benefits of competitive exercise. At Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the UK, he organised an archery competition for wheelchair patients, leading to the first Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, held in parallel to the London Olympics. The event grew annually, culminating in the first official Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960. The National Paralympic Heritage Trust, based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, preserves this legacy, and the stadium remains the starting point for the Paralympic flame relay. World Origin Site .Org will produce two accreditation plaques, including a trial Braille version.
