Stoke Mandeville Stadium
Stoke Mandeville was the birthplace of disability sport having hosted the first wheelchair sports competition in 1948 to coincide with the last London Olympic games. The Stoke Mandeville Games (as they became know) were organised by Sir Ludwig Guttman for the World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries who were rehabilitating at Stoke Mandeville hospital.
The British Paraplegic Sports Society brought the Games back to Stoke Mandeville Stadium in 1984. They ran from 22nd July to 1st August and consisted of 1,100+ athletes, from 41 countries, taking part in 14 events. Great Britain came third on the medals table and the Games were a huge success.
The stadium is the National Centre for Disability Sport and the home of the National Wheelchair Championships. In recent years it has hosted several other major sporting events including; the National Wheelchair Archery Championship and the European Archery Competition in July 2007 and the Wheelchair Basketball National Finals in May 2007.
Stoke Mandeville Stadium will provide world class training facilities for potential olympians and there are plans for extensive enhancements. For further information about the centre's facilities visit www.stokemandevillestadium.co.uk.
If you would like to discover more about the 2012 Paralympic Games go to the Paralympics GB website.