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The origin of competitive sports for disabled people is connected with the rehabilitation for the Second World War‘s Veterans with medullar lesions, even if we have previous examples of disabled athletes and sports organization for them. In any case, it has been the interest in sport as a therapy inside English and American hospitals, after the War that pushed sport for disabled people at the nowadays level. The development of this philosophy was born in Great Britain from Sir Ludwig Guttman. While he was the head of the National Spine Injuries Centre in Stoke Mandeville in 1948, he introduced archery discipline as therapeutic measure for paraplegic veterans. The first international sports event for these subjects took place in Stoke Mandeville four years later, as an archery competition between the paraplegic of the Institute and other similar Dutch athletes.
In the meantime, the United States saw the development of wheelchair basketball competitions among the patients of the Veterans Administration Hospital. Professor Timothy J. Nugent, from Illinois University, was the main character in this field. He organized the 1° National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1949.
Stoke Mandeville’s games became so famous, mixing more and more nations in many sports events. In 1956, C.I.O. officially recognized the games, by offering as a prize the Fearnley Cup, symbol of the new Olympic Movement. Also wheelchair activities expanded in the United States and, in 1957, the first National Games for Wheelchair of New York included basketball competitions, track and road race, swimming, table tennis and archery.
In 1960, in order to satisfy the international interest in disabled sports, took place the International Stoke Mandeville Games Committee (ISMGC).
NWAA started on official procedure of adoption to ISMGC in the same year, showing the real need of a cooperative work in the creation of an international sports movement.
Stoke Mandeville’s games grew up so strongly that it was necessary to find a bigger place where to house them. In 1960, these Games moved to Rome and started immediately after the Olympic Games. About 400 athletes, coming from 23 countries, lived inside the Olympic Village and competed inside the Olympic Stadium. International competitions came back to Stoke Mandeville for the following three years.
In 1964, the Games moved to Tokyo, Japan, confirming the idea of maintaining Paralympics Games in the Olympic year and in the same country of the traditional Olympic Games. In this occasion, about 450 athletes, coming from 25 countries, took part in the event that promoted the international competition among disabled athletes according to the Olympic ideal. They introduced some disciplines like: speed (60 m), 240 m relay, wheelchair slalom, discus throwing and weight lifting. The 1° flag and the 1° anthem of the Paralympics Games were born in Tokyo.
In 1968, the organizations responsible for disabled sports weren’t able to obtain from their government the money they needed to house the Paralympics Games in Mexico. They took place in Tel Aviv, after the ISMGC’s invitation from Israel. An event for 750 athletes from 29 countries was prepared in less than 1 year. A lot of local organizations originated in this period, in order to promote more disabled competitions.
Pan American Paraplegic Games and some similar events were born in Europe, Far East and South Pacific, in 1967.
In 1972 they took place in Heidelberg, Germany. They could not use the Olympic seat in Monaco because of architectural obstacles. About 1000 paraplegics from 44 countries took part in many disciplines. The German Movement for Disabled Sport held a demonstration including amputates and blinds, asking for their participation in international competitions.
For that reason, the Olympic Games in Toronto, Canada, in 1976, have been the first real Games for physical disabled. 1600 athletes, paralysed, amputates, blinds from 42 countries took part in a completely independent event. These games have been the first victim of politics. The participation of a multiracial team from South Africa, caused the withdrawal of 8 countries and also the Canadian government broke up his financial and moral support. But the Games had complete success, without money deficit, thanks to the Canadian public and private sectors support, and these Games showed to 100.000 spectators the ability of disabled people in sports activities.
The introduction of amputates and blind athletes came from the International Sport Organization for the Disabled work (ISOD). ISOD was born in 1964 as a coordinative organization for disabled sports and in order to put together all groups in its organization. ISOD realized a set of rules that was used for the first time during the World Games of Stoke Mandeville in 1974; that set was after partly modified and used in the Games of 1976.
The Games of 1980 didn’t take place in Soviet Union, like the Olympic Games, because that country declared they hadn’t disabled people and than refused to house their competitions. Holland housed the Paralympics Games and it had been the second world event of that year. Also athletes suffering from cerebral paralysis took part in the event.
In 1984 we had not just one international event called Olympic Games.
The International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), the government body for athletes suffering from medullar lesions, housed in Stoke Mandeville the seventh World Games for wheelchairs. About 2700 athletes, coming from 45 countries, challenged divided from blind, amputates and other paralysed athletes. These groups met in Long Island, New York, the same year to take part in the International Games for Disabled: there were 1700 athletes, from 41 countries. In 1984, a group of disabled was included in regular Olympic Games. The 800m female Racetrack and 1500m male on wheelchair were included as a demonstration in Olympics Games in Los Angeles.
Seoul Paralympics Games, South Korea 1988, mixed paraplegics, blinds, amputates and other paralysed athletes (mainly cerebral paralysis). They have been the biggest Paralympics Games ever existed in an Olympic town from 1964. More than 3000 athletes from more than 60 countries challenged in different sports in 10 days.
Than came Barcelona in 1992, with 3020 athletes from 83 countries where 1.300.000 spectators took part, without considering the total TV connection for the first time. Also athletes suffering from mental disease challenged in swimming, basketball, football and table tennis in Madrid.
In Atlanta, 1996, 3310 athletes from 103 countries were the biggest group ever seen together in an Olympic city. Two sports were introduced as a demonstration: sailing and rugby. During these games, athletes passed more than 220 world records.
For Sydney 2000 it is expected to have 4000 athletes from 125 countries, with 18 sportive disciplines, 14 of which are included in traditional Olympic Games. For amputate athletes who, as we said, for the first time officially took part in the Olympic Games of Toronto, 1976, they have been included into 11 different disciplines, against the 12 of the paraplegics and the 8 of the blinds. 3 doctors, 3 professional nurses, 3 physiotherapists and 3 assistants for each of the two daily watches represented sanitary assistance in these Olympic games. In Barcelona, 1992, 86 persons, 12 of whom were doctors, composed the medical team.
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