The Stoke Mandeville games of 1948

In 1948 neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttman organised a sporting competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries at Stoke Mandeville. It took place at the same time as the London 1948 Olympic Games. In 1952, the Netherlands joined in the event, creating the first international sports competition for the disabled. In 1960, the Ninth Stoke Mandeville Games were held in Rome, Italy, following that year's Olympic Games. These are considered to be the first Paralympic Games.

Useful links

You can find out more about the Paralympics and the Stoke Mandeville games at these sites

Bucks 2012 - Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games
History of the Paralympic Games
The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games (or IWAS World Games)
Mandeville Legacy

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License