The story behind the Father of the Paralympic Games, "Ludwig"

Who do you think came up with the idea for the Paralympic Games? Is it a person who likes sports, or an athlete who is injured for some reason? Maybe a disability coach. All of these answers are wrong. The organizer of the sporting event that eventually became the Paralympic Games was a doctor; his name was Professor Sir Ludwig Gutmann.

Early life

Born in Germany in 1899, Ludwig has always been interested in medicine. As a teenager, he volunteered at an injured miners' hospital. One of his first patients was a man with a spinal cord injury. The doctor didn't have much time to take care of him, and the man died soon after. Ludwig remembered him all his life. He graduated from medical school and became a doctor at the age of 25.

Leave Germany

Guttmann succeeded in his career over the next few years and became director of neurosurgery at the Jewish Hospital in Breslau. Because Gutmann and his family were Jewish, their lives in Germany became very difficult. The Nazi Party did not allow most hospitals to treat Jews, or even doctors. Since Gutman is the president of the hospital, he can help people. However, in 1938, he realized that life had become too dangerous and decided to move to England with his family.

New approach

In the UK, Gutmann continues to research the best way to treat patients with spinal cord injury. He's not only interested in treating patients; he's also interested in how to get them back into a normal, useful life.

He presented his research to the British Medical Council and became president of Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1943. World War II was underway and many soldiers were wounded in the fighting. They often lose the function of their legs and need treatment and help. At that time, it was believed that if a person was disabled, they could not really live a normal, useful life. One result is that disabled soldiers often feel frustrated and angry. Gutman treated these people with his new methods. He takes care of their injuries, but he also tries to give them emotional strength. He wanted to make his patients recover.

The creation of the modern Paralympic Games

From his youth, Gutman knew that playing sports was good for both the body and mind. He began using exercise as a therapeutic means to help his patients. He wants to restore self-esteem and dignity to patients and encourages them to participate in physical activity.

In 1948, the hospital hosted a sporting event called the International Wheelchair Games. By 1952, with the participation of disabled athletes from other countries, the event began to expand. By 1960, the Olympic Games were known as the International Stoke-Mandeville Games, held in Rome along with the official Summer Olympics. The next two events, in Tokyo in 1964 and Tel Aviv in Israel in 1968, were even larger. By then, there were 750 athletes from 29 different countries. Gutmann himself died in 1980, even before the Olympics were called the "Paralympic Games", but there is no doubt that he was the founder and founder of the Paralympic Games.

A lasting legacy

In 2012, the Paralympic Games will return to the UK and Stoke Mandeville Hospital will be used as a training centre. In recognition of Gutman's life and work, a bronze statue of Gutman will also be erected outside the National Centre for Spinal Cord Injury. Today, it is normal for people with disabilities to participate in sports, but in the life of Ludwig Gutmann, people with disabilities did not have the opportunity they have now. Thanks to his hard work, we were able to enjoy the Paralympic Games.