Tokyo Paralympics Begins, Ludwig Guttman Envisioned First Games
OLYMPICS
The Tokyo Paralympics begins on Tuesday and will last until September 5th. 4,537 athletes representing 163 nations will compete in 540 events, including badminton and taekwondo for the first time ever.
Ludwig Guttman, a Jewish neurologist who escaped Nazi Germany and settled in England in 1939, envisioned a competition for athletes who could benefit from sports as a way of rehabilitation. While working at Stoke Mandeville spinal injury center for soldiers, he hosted the first annual Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948. In 1960, the event was officially recognized as the first Paralympic Summer Games.
