Q1.
I. Did you know?
The origin of Paralympics can be traced back to the year 1948, when Sir Ludwig Guttmann, organised a sports competition for war veterans with spinal cord-related injuries in England. The Stoke Mandeville Games was the Olympic-style games for differently-abled athletes. It was organised for the first time in Rome in 1960 and since then the game has evolved. The Paralympics are split into Winter Games and Summer Games, which alternately occur every two years. Since the late twentieth century, the Paralympics have been held in the same city, which hosts the corresponding Olympic Games; the Paralympics follow shortly after the Olympics.
Answer
This box carries no question — it is background you are expected to be able to use in the presentation that follows, and in the Class 9 discussion of the poem. Reduce it to facts you can quote.
| Fact | Detail from the box |
|---|---|
| Year of origin | 1948 |
| Founder | Sir Ludwig Guttmann |
| Who competed first | war veterans with spinal cord-related injuries, in England |
| Name of those first games | the Stoke Mandeville Games — “the Olympic-style games for differently-abled athletes” |
| First held as an international Games | Rome, 1960 |
| Two editions | Winter Games and Summer Games, alternating every two years |
| Where they are held now | in the same host city as the Olympic Games, shortly after the Olympics |
Why the origin matters to this chapter: the Games began in a hospital, as rehabilitation for injured soldiers, and grew into elite international sport. That history is the whole argument of the chapter in miniature — the same activity that began as care ended as competition. It is also why Dr. Malik insists on being judged as an athlete: “individuals with disabilities can be as capable, if not more than their able-bodied counterparts.”
Read the sentence about Rome carefully. The box compresses two stages into one line. The 1948 competition at Stoke Mandeville in England grew year by year into an international meet; the Games first took the form we now call the Paralympic Games at Rome in 1960. If you use this in a presentation, keep the two dates and the two places distinct — 1948 England, 1960 Rome.
Compare with page 168. The infographic at the very end of the chapter adds one more fact you will want: the Paralympic symbol is called the Agitos, from the Latin for “I move”.