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Paralympic Games: the flame was lit in Stoke Mandeville, birthplace of the competition
Paralympic Games: the flame was lit in Stoke Mandeville, birthplace of the competition
(france 2)
There are four days left until the start of the Paralympic Games. Before that, the flame will tour France, but it was in England that it was lit on Saturday 24 August. The village of Stoke Mandeville is considered the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.
On Saturday 24 August, in pouring rain, the Paralympic cauldron was lit in Stoke Mandeville (United Kingdom) under the torches of rower Helen Raynsford and curling champion Gregor Ewan. A highlight in a symbolic location. Because the small town was not chosen at random.
In 1948, Dr. Ludwig Guttman had the idea of organizing a competition for war wounded in wheelchairs. He was convinced of the benefits of sport for his patients, a revolutionary idea at the time. Within a few years, athletes from around twenty countries were taking part in the competition. In 1960, the Paralympic Games were held for the first time in the wake of the Olympic Games in Rome. The flame will return to France on Sunday, August 25, via the Channel Tunnel. The spark that left a British hospital 76 years ago is preparing to light up Paris and the entire world for 11 days.
