Paralympic Flame Relit at Stoke Mandeville Stadium
|
His Royal Highness (HRH) The Prince of Wales relit the 1984 Paralympic
Flame at the new Stoke Mandeville Stadium and declared
the redeveloped National Sports Centre for the Disabled officially
open on 8 April 2003. The stadium, owned by the British Wheelchair
Sports Foundation (BWSF), hosted some 700 guests to
celebrate the re-opening after the € 14 million refurbishment.
After more than 30 years of service, the existing facilities were in need of renovation. The project to revitalise the home of wheelchair sport commenced in March 2001 and the Re-Opening Ceremony gave HRH The Prince of Wales and guests the opportunity to see demonstrations of Paralympic sport and to view the new facilities including an 8 lane athletics arena, 6 rink indoor bowls centre, 12 court sports hall, 6 lane swimming pool, 70 station fitness centre along with vastly improved changing, catering and spectator areas. 
HRH The Prince of Wales met Phil Craven, IPC President, at the re-opening of the Stoke Mandeville Stadium
Photo: Andrew Wiard © reportphotos.com Financed by a Sport England Lottery Fund award of € 7.63 million, together with donations to the BWSF Sporting Chance Appeal, the total raised to date by BWSF is €13 million—which still leaves a target of € 985,000. The new Stoke Mandeville Stadium will provide a superb venue for a wide variety of sport for persons with a disability in the future. The unique combination of sporting facilities, allied with on-site accommodation in the new Olympic Lodge and revamped Olympic Village, means that events at local, national and international levels can be staged. Old dormitories have been converted to multi-purpose conference style rooms and this will enable Stoke Mandeville to host international conferences and meetings as well as sports competitions. |
|
HRH The Prince of Wales declared the Stadium open
Photo: Andrew Wiard © reportphotos.com The Re-Opening Ceremony saw the induction of the first four persons into the new Stoke Mandeville Hall of Fame, including Caz Walton MBE—a fencer and all-round athlete, Philip Craven MBE—President of the IPC, Tanni Grey-Thompson OBE—eight time Paralympic gold medal winner and the late Sir Ludwig Guttmann—the founding father of the Paralympic Games. Recipients were presented with their scrolls by The Prince and the daughter of Ludwig Guttmann, Eva Loeffler, collected his posthumous award. Sir Ludwig Guttmann would certainly be proud of the new facilities, which aim to continue his legacy of providing opportunities for men, women and children with a disability to take part in recreational and competitive sport. Whether it is the introduction of a child to sport or someone recently paralysed, or through providing a quality training and competition venue for elite athletes, Stoke Mandeville has an important role in the future of sport for persons with a disability worldwide. The historical significance of Stoke Mandeville is important but more important is the task ahead of ensuring that these unique and superb facilities are open to athletes of all disabilities and all ages, not only in Britain, but around the world. The spirit of Stoke Mandeville lives on for a new generation of Paralympians. Martin McElhatton Chief Executive British Wheelchair Sports Foundation |
