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Ludwig Guttmann
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann (July 3, 1899 in Toszek (Poland) - March 18, 1980) was a German-born neurologist who founded the Paralympics and is considered one of the founding fathers of organized physical activities for the disabled.
One of the leading pre-World War II neurologists in Germany, Guttmann worked at the Jewish Hospital in Breslau until 1939, when he was forced to flee to England. In 1944, Guttmann was asked by the British government to found the National Spinal Injuries Centre in Stoke Mandeville near London, at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. He was appointed the position of director at the Centre, a position he held until 1966. As director, he believed sport was a method of therapy, using it to help build physical strength and self-respect. By 1952, Guttmann's Stoke Mandeville Games for the disabled had grown to over 130 international competitors, and it continued to grow, impressing Olympics officials and the international community. In 1956, Guttmann was awarded the Fearnley Cup, an award for outstanding contribution to the Olympic ideal. Starting in 1960 in Rome and continuing to today, the Paralympic Games are held after the Olympic Games, often in the same city. In 1960 Guttmann also founded the British Sports Association of the Disabled.
Guttmann received Great Britain's OBE and CBE and was honored worldwide.