Ludwig “Poppa” Guttmann

Guttman, a neurologist, fled Nazi Germany and came to the UK, where he set up the first spinal cord injury centre in Stoke Mandeville. Guttmann looked into new methods of treatment at Stoke Mandeville, one of the avenues that he explored was that of disability sports. On 28 July 1948  (the same day that the London Olympics of that year opened) the first Stoke Mandeville games took place for disabled patients. The date was no accident; Guttmann believed disabled people deserved recognition within society and the chance to demonstrate their capabilities. Within four years, the annual Stoke Mandeville games had become so popular that in 1952, a team of Dutch disabled veterans competed against British patients. The event continued to grow in international recognition and in 1960 the games were held in Rome following on from the Olympic Games held there earlier in the year.