World Wheelchair Games
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(Redirected from Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games)
The World Wheelchair Games, formally known as the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games and the Stoke Mandeville Games, gave birth to the Paralympics. The Games started in 1948 by Sir Ludwig Guttmann who organized a sporting competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. In 1952, the Netherlands joined in the games creating the first international competition for the disabled.
The Games are held annually in Stoke Mandeville, England, the only exception having been in 1999 when they were held in Christchurch, New Zealand [1].