Published on: July 20, 2021

LUDWIG GUTTMANN

LUDWIG GUTTMANN

What is in news : Google honours ‘founder of the paralympic movement’ Ludwig Guttmann with a doodle

Details :

  • He was a German-born British neurologist Professor
  • Known as founder of the Paralympic movement.
  • Born on July 3, 1899 in Tost, Germany
  • In 1948, he organized a 16-person archery contest, one of the first official competitive sporting events for wheelchair users. Later called the “Stoke Mandeville Games” or the “Olympics for the Disabled,” the competition demonstrated the power of elite sport to break down barriers for disability and garnered the attention of global medical and sporting communities.
  • In 1961, Guttmann founded the International Medical Society of Paraplegia, now the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS); he was the inaugural president of the society, a position that he held until 1970.
  • He became the first editor of the journal, Paraplegia (now named Spinal Cord). He retired from clinical work in 1966 but continued his involvement with the sport.