ON PREVIOUS DAYS:
- YESTERDAY:
Mary, King of Hungary - DAY BEFORE:
The Oklahoma Land Grab - DAY BEFORE THAT:I'mma Let You Finish
- DAY BEFORE BEFORE THAT:
The Real Lord of the Flies
ON THIS DAY
How the Paralympics Began
The first Paralympic Games – hosting 400 athletes from 23 countries – took place in Rome on 18th September, 1960.
But it was only known by this name retrospectively: the day it took place, this festival of disabled sport was called The Ninth Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games.
Sprung from a competition held at a hospital in Buckinghamshire, and pioneered by German-Jewish neurosurgeon Dr. Ludwig Guttman, the Games began as part of a physiotherapy programme for soldiers and civilians with spinal cord injuries. As the Stoke Mandeville Games expanded, so did the variety of sports and the level of competition.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal Russia’s initial refusal to participate; uncover the controversial use of performance-enhancing drugs; and celebrate Dr. Guttman’s vision of what was possible for athletes with disabilities…
Further Reading:
• Paralympians still hold a flame for Stoke Mandeville pioneer (The Times, 2023): https://www.thetimes.com/sport/cricket/article/paralympians-still-hold-a-flame-for-stoke-mandeville-pioneer-653kbqjx5
• ‘Celebrating 60 years since Rome 1960 – the first Paralympic Games!’ (Paralympic Games, 2020): https://www.paralympic.org/feature/celebrating-60-years-rome-1960-first-paralympic-games
• ’How the Paralympics Began’ (The Retrospectors, 2024):
ON THIS DAY
How the Paralympics Began
The first Paralympic Games – hosting 400 athletes from 23 countries – took place in Rome on 18th September, 1960.
But it was only known by this name retrospectively: the day it took place, this festival of disabled sport was called The Ninth Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games.
Sprung from a competition held at a hospital in Buckinghamshire, and pioneered by German-Jewish neurosurgeon Dr. Ludwig Guttman, the Games began as part of a physiotherapy programme for soldiers and civilians with spinal cord injuries. As the Stoke Mandeville Games expanded, so did the variety of sports and the level of competition.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal Russia’s initial refusal to participate; uncover the controversial use of performance-enhancing drugs; and celebrate Dr. Guttman’s vision of what was possible for athletes with disabilities…
Further Reading:
• Paralympians still hold a flame for Stoke Mandeville pioneer (The Times, 2023): https://www.thetimes.com/sport/cricket/article/paralympians-still-hold-a-flame-for-stoke-mandeville-pioneer-653kbqjx5
• ‘Celebrating 60 years since Rome 1960 – the first Paralympic Games!’ (Paralympic Games, 2020): https://www.paralympic.org/feature/celebrating-60-years-rome-1960-first-paralympic-games
• ’How the Paralympics Began’ (The Retrospectors, 2024):
ON PREVIOUS DAYS:
- YESTERDAY:
Mary, King of Hungary - DAY BEFORE:
The Oklahoma Land Grab - DAY BEFORE THAT:I'mma Let You Finish
- DAY BEFORE BEFORE THAT:
The Real Lord of the Flies
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OLLY MANN
Olly Mann made his name with another trivia-wielding podcast, Answer Me This! with Helen Zaltzman – and now presents The Modern Mann, The Week Unwrapped, and Four Thought for BBC Radio Four. He also has an A-Level in History, so Dan Snow beware.
REBECCA MESSINA
Rebecca got a passion for podcasting working at The Week magazine and a passion for trivia appearing on University Challenge in 2011, making The Retrospectors her natural home.
ARION MCNICOLL
Arion started out in satirical news in Australia, then moved to the UK to work for ostensibly serious publications including The Times, CNN, and The Week… before realising that since around 2016 the news has all been satire really.
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