PARALYMPIC HERITAGE by Jose Ramon Comesaña

l a n o i e t a m n r m e a t r n g I o 2 r 1 P 0 n 2 o i n t o a d c n Lo Edu Heritage of the Paralympic Games: Birthplace of the Games In 2012, the Paralympic Games will come to the UK. The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be a spectacular event.

The UK has a very strong connection with the Paralympic Games. In fact, the roots of the Paralympic Movement are in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, England. 1944: Sir Ludwig Guttmann had the idea that he could use sport to help his patients recover from spinal cord injuries. The patients responded well to this treatment. 1948: Sir Ludwig organised a sports competition for patients with disabilities – the first Wheelchair Games. This was held in Stoke Mandeville at the same time as the London 1948 Olympic Games. 1952: The 1948 Games were so popular that, in 1952, Sir Ludwig organised the first international event – again at Stoke Mandeville. This time, athletes from the Netherlands joined in the Games too, making a total of 130 athletes from two countries. The Paralympic Movement was born.

1960: The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome in 1960. There were 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then, the event has taken place every four years. By the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games there were 3,951 athletes from 146 countries competing to win gold medals. Do you know when your nation first competed in the Paralympic Games? Ask people in your community what they know about the Paralympic Games and what their first memory of them is.

Did you know…? The town of Stoke Mandeville inspired the name of Mandeville: the London 2012 Paralympic Games mascot.

Glossary 1948 Wheelchair Games Number of competing teams 0 Number of athletes 16 Number of sports 1 Date of the Games 29 July 1948

SPINE – a person’s backbone

Rome 1960

London 2012

23 400 8 18 – 25 September 1960

170 10,400 26 29 August – 9 September 2012

The evolution of the Paralympic Games The Paralympic symbol was created in 2003. What does it look like to you? Do you know what it represents? It is a symbol in motion, with three Agitos around a point in the middle. Agitos means ‘I move’ in Latin. The three Agitos are red, blue and green because these are the three most popular colours in national flags

Paralympic medals

Here are some medals from previous Paralympic Games. What are their similarities? What are their differences? What do you think of the London 2012 Paralympic medals?

Racing wheelchairs

Developments in technology help athletes perform at their very best. These wheelchairs are made especially for sport and are not for everyday use. These wheelchairs are designed for wheelchair racing. There are different designs for other sports including Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Rugby. How have these wheelchairs changed over the last 30 years? Why do you think these changes have been made?

Wheelchair Tennis

Wheelchair Tennis became a Paralympic Sport in 1988. What are the main differences in rules between the Wheelchair Tennis and the Olympic Tennis competition?

Boccia and Goalball

Boccia and Goalball are very distinct Paralympic sports. Have you ever played Boccia or Goalball at your school? Why not find out the rules and try it? You can always change the rules a little if your school is small so everyone can play!

Glossary EVOLUTION – development of something TO CREATE – to make something new LOGO – a picture or design which is used to promote a company, a product or an event

Paralympic Games: Image sheet The whole world is excited about London 2012. Here are some images of previous Paralympic Games:

Paralympic Games: Did you know? The first international Games for athletes with a disability took place in the UK in 1952.

The first events for visually impaired athletes were included as ‘demonstration events’ in the Heidleberg 1972 Paralympic Games, Germany. The motto of the Paralympic Movement is ‘Spirit in Motion’.

Racing wheelchairs were used for the first time at the Toronto, Canada 1976 Games.

At Arnheim 1980, in the Netherlands, the first events for athletes with cerebral palsy were included.

The following sports have been added to the Paralympic Games over the years: 1964 Weightlifting 1968 Lawn Bowls 1976 Goalball, Shooting and Volleyball (standing) 1980 Volleyball (sitting) 1984 Boccia and Football 7-a-side 1988 Judo and Wheelchair Tennis 1996 Equestrian 2000 Sailing and Wheelchair Rugby 2004 Football 5-a-side 2008 Rowing

Glossary MOTTO – a short saying. Companies and organisations use mottos to promote what they do. DEMONSTRATION EVENTS – non-competitive events

Games of the future: London 2012 London is one of the most exciting cities in the world and a perfect place for the 2012 Games. There will be about 4,200 Paralympic athletes from 170 countries taking part in events including Archery, Equestrian, Wheelchair Basketball, Athletics and Powerlifting.

ea d i y t i v i t Ac

Future predictions The 2012 Games have not happened yet and we have no idea who is going to win. What do you think will happen? Which teams do you think will do well at the Games? Work on your own or in teams. You could paint or draw pictures or act out a play in your Drama class to show who you think will win. Make your play into a film or a soap opera. Who will be the important characters of your 2012 Games?

Glossary INSPIRE – to create a good feeling in someone to do something PREDICTION – a look into the future HOST – the country holding the Games

e d i y t i v i Act

Inspiring equality Equality and respect are a very important part of the London 2012 Games. All athletes will be treated equally.

Is everyone treated with respect where you live? Could your community do more to make people feel they are treated equally? Pretend that it is your job to make sure that everyone where you live is treated equally and with respect. How will you do it? Could you use the London 2012 Paralympic Games as a good example? Have you seen any other celebrations that promote equality?

Learn, tell the world and celebrate! The more you learn about the Games, the more you will enjoy watching them in 2012.