Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire will be the location for the lighting of all future Paralympic torches, according to the International Paralympics Committee. Similar to how the Olympic flame is ignited at Olympia in Greece, the Paralympic Torch Relay will commence in Buckinghamshire, where the flame will be lit at Stoke Mandeville to recognise its legacy as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. The torch will be employed to light flames from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The decision to choose Stoke Mandeville as the home of the Paralympic flame was made to increase global awareness of Stoke Mandeville and Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who founded and developed the Paralympic movement. In 1944, the British government requested Dr Guttmann to open a spinal injuries centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which he developed to become the Stoke Mandeville Games four years later. The games were designed for wheelchair athletes to compete on the same day as the opening ceremony of the 1948 Olympic Games held in London.
Over the years, the games were expanded to include international athletes, before eventually being known as the Paralympic Games during the 1960 summer Olympics held in Rome. “It is fitting that 75 years on from those historic first Stoke Mandeville Games… we are announcing that Stoke Mandeville will play an even greater role in all future editions of the Paralympic Games,” International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons said.
Parsons also stated that “The Paralympic Movement owes Stoke Mandeville and Sir Ludwig Guttmann a huge debt of gratitude.”The decision to select Stoke Mandeville Hospital as the home of the Paralympic flame is expected to further solidify the establishment’s position as a symbol of the country’s disabled sports culture. Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830
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