Happy birthday Prof. Sir Ludwig Guttmann!

Google celebrates Paralympic Movement’s founding father’s 122nd birth anniversary with doodle 03 Jul 2021
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Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann’s Doodle on 122nd birthday
ⒸGoogle
By IPC

To mark the 122nd birth anniversary of the founder of the Paralympic Movement German-born British neurologist Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann, Google launched a doodle, illustrated by Baltimore-based guest artist Ashanti Fortson.

Guttmann was born in Tost, Germany (now Toszek, Poland) on this day in 1899 and went on to receive his M.D. in 1924. He subsequently began research on spinal cord injuries and performed several neurosurgical procedures, rising to prominence as one of Germany’s top neurosurgeons by his early thirties.

In 1944, at the request of the British Government, Dr. Guttmann opened a spinal injuries centre at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Great Britain, and in time, rehabilitation sport evolved to recreational sport and then to competitive sport.

On 29 July 1948, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, Dr. Guttmann organised the first competition for wheelchair athletes which he named the Stoke Mandeville Games, a milestone in Paralympic history. They involved 16 injured servicemen and women who took part in archery.

In 1952, Dutch ex-servicemen joined the Movement and the International Stoke Mandeville Games were founded.

The Stoke Mandeville Games later became the Paralympic Games which first took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960 featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then they have taken place every four years.

Dr. Guttmann’s passion for patient care never faltered — he also founded the International Medical Society of Paraplegia (the International Spinal Cord Society) and the British Sports Association for the Disabled (Activity Alliance) in 1961. He received numerous accolades for his contributions, the highest among which was being knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 1966.

Today, Paralympic athletes are rightfully recognised for their skills and achievements. The Paralympic Games continue to be a driving force for promoting the rights and independence of people with disabilities, with a lasting impact on equal treatment and opportunity.