The Paralympic Games

The birthplace of the Paralympics
An Olympic-style belief in the power of sport for good led to the birth of what is now known as the Paralympics.

Neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann was working with war veterans suffering spinal injuries when he hit upon the idea of using sport to help.

Treating war veterans with spinal cord injuries, he was convinced making them more active and increasing their mobility was the key to more successful treatment.

Sir Ludwig observed that 85 per cent of patients with spinal injuries died as a result of their injuries. And the best way to reduce the terrible figure was to rekindle the inner fire and human spirit through sport.

So, to coincide with the 1948 London Olympics, he organised the first wheelchair games at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, north of London.

Four years later it welcomed international competitors to the event as interest grew. And by the time the hospital once again enjoyed the honour of acting as host, in 1984, more than 1,000 athletes from 41 countries took part in 14 different events.

In between, it had gained the official title of the Paralympics and been staged to coincide with the Olympics in Rome and Tokyo.

The UK has maintained its pioneering role in sport for the disabled and staged many international events, including both the World Swimming Championships and World Equestrian Championships (1994) and the World Athletics Championships (1998). And at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Paralympic sport truly came of age as events for athletes with disabilities ran alongside the other competitions at the main venues.

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