Paralympic Games

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Paralympic Games History

The precursor to what we now know as the Paralympic Games was an event organized by Sir Ludwig Guttman in 1948. He organized a competition in Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom, for Second World War veterans with spinal injuries. He believed that sport was good for both morale and rehabilitation. This event was very successful, and by 1960 it had evolved to an Olympic-style Games with participants from all over the world.

In 1952, only two countries and 130 athletes took part. In Sydney 2000, 123 countries and 3,843 athletes participated. Although there has always been close ties between the Olympics and Paralympics, in 2001 an agreement between IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was reached that ensured that from 2012 onwards the city chosen to host the Olympic Games will also be obliged to host the Paralympics.

Related Pages

• main Paralympics page