Stoke Mandeville Stadium
Encyclopedia
Stoke Mandeville Stadium is the National Centre for Disability Sport in the United Kingdom. It is sited alongside Stoke Mandeville Hospital
near Stoke Mandeville
and Aylesbury
in Buckinghamshire
. The stadium was officially opened by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in August 1969.
The stadium developed out of the Stoke Mandeville Games — the forerunner of the Paralympic Games
— founded in 1948 by Ludwig Guttmann
. He was a neurosurgeon at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital who recognised the value of exercise and competition in the rehabilition of ex-members of the British armed forces. By 1961 Guttmann had founded the British Sports Association for the Disabled (now named English Federation of Disability Sport
, expanding the concept of organising sport for men, women and children with disabilities and developing Stoke Mandeville Stadium into an international centre of disabled sport.
When Sir Ludwig Guttmann died in 1980 the Stadium was renamed Ludwig Guttmann Sports Centre for the Disabled. In 2001, following a £10million refurbishment, it was again renamed as "Stoke Mandeville Stadium".
Stoke Mandeville Stadium is owned by WheelPower
, the national organisation for wheelchair sport in the United Kingdom.
In addition the Stadium has its own "Olympic Village" accommodation for athletes and the Olympic Lodge Hotel and the Wolfson Conference Centre provide guest facilities.
Stoke Mandeville Institute of Sport and Education at the stadium provides specialist disability education and training for the sport and leisure sector.
, the last of the Summer Paralympics not held in the same venue as the Summer Olympic Games.
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service hospital within Aylesbury Urban Area to the south of the town of Aylesbury, near the village of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire...
near Stoke Mandeville
Stoke Mandeville
Stoke Mandeville is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district to the south-east of Aylesbury in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. Although a separate civil parish, the village falls within the Aylesbury Urban Area...
and Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The stadium was officially opened by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in August 1969.
The stadium developed out of the Stoke Mandeville Games — the forerunner of the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
— founded in 1948 by Ludwig Guttmann
Ludwig Guttmann
Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann CBE, FRS was a German neurologist who founded the Paralympic Games while living in England, and is considered one of the founding fathers of organized physical activities for people with a disability....
. He was a neurosurgeon at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital who recognised the value of exercise and competition in the rehabilition of ex-members of the British armed forces. By 1961 Guttmann had founded the British Sports Association for the Disabled (now named English Federation of Disability Sport
English Federation of Disability Sport
The English Federation of Disability Sport is an umbrella organization promoting sport for athletes with disabilities in England. Founded in 1998, the Federation brought together a number of organizations who had separately promoted disabled sports before its creation...
, expanding the concept of organising sport for men, women and children with disabilities and developing Stoke Mandeville Stadium into an international centre of disabled sport.
When Sir Ludwig Guttmann died in 1980 the Stadium was renamed Ludwig Guttmann Sports Centre for the Disabled. In 2001, following a £10million refurbishment, it was again renamed as "Stoke Mandeville Stadium".
Stoke Mandeville Stadium is owned by WheelPower
WheelPower
WheelPower is the national organisation for wheelchair sport in the United Kingdom, and aims to help people with disabilities improve their quality of life....
, the national organisation for wheelchair sport in the United Kingdom.
Facilities
Facilities include a 400-metre outdoor running track, Cazenove Sports Hall, a 25m six-lane swimming pool, tennis courts and an indoor bowls arena.In addition the Stadium has its own "Olympic Village" accommodation for athletes and the Olympic Lodge Hotel and the Wolfson Conference Centre provide guest facilities.
Stoke Mandeville Institute of Sport and Education at the stadium provides specialist disability education and training for the sport and leisure sector.
1984 Summer Paralympics
Stoke Mandeville Stadium was one of the two venues of the VII Paralympic Games1984 Summer Paralympics
The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in two separate locations, Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the...
, the last of the Summer Paralympics not held in the same venue as the Summer Olympic Games.