The Origins of the Paralympics

By: Avery Calvert

For over 100 years, the Paralympics have provided athletes with disabilities the opportunity to showcase their talents to the world. In 1944, German neurologist Dr. Ludwig Guttmann opened Stoke Mandeville Hospital, a spinal surgical clinic, 37 miles north of London.

With the 1948 Olympic Games taking place in London, Dr. Guttmann decided to host the Stoke Mandeville Games as a rehabilitation plan for his paraplegic patients. On July 29th, the same day as the London Olympics, the Stoke Mandeville Games began. Sixteen patients, all of whom were Royal Air Force pilots whose spinal cords had been injured during the war, competed in archery and netball in wheelchairs. In 1952, the first International Stoke Mandeville Games were held with teams from the Netherlands and Great Britain competing. Just two years later the number of countries competing grew to 14. Many of the athletes were from rehabilitation hospitals and the Games were part of their rehabilitation plan. 

The first Paralympic Games, or ninth International Stoke Mandeville Games, occurred in 1960 in Rome, Italy. Four hundred athletes, all competing in wheelchairs, from 23 different countries participated in 8 different sports: Para athletics, wheelchair basketball, Para swimming, Para table tennis, Para archery, snooker, dartchery (a combination of darts and archery) and wheelchair fencing.

Since its start, the Paralympics have been held every four years since 1960. Many sports have been added throughout this time. This year’s Paralympics will also take place in Paris just 17 days after the Olympic Closing Ceremony. The Paralympics will open on August 28th and close on September 8th. Throughout the Paralympics, we will be posting athlete highlights on our Instagram, @the.willingham. I look forward to seeing all of these athletes compete! Go Team USA!