Stoke Mandeville Stadium

{{Short description|Sports venue in Aylesbury, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Use British English|date=February 2023}} '''Stoke Mandeville Stadium''' is the '''National Centre for Disability Sport''' in England. It is sited alongside [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital]] in [[Aylesbury]] in [[Buckinghamshire]]. The Stadium is owned by [[WheelPower]], the national organisation for wheelchair sport.

==History== The Stadium developed out of the Stoke Mandeville Games — the forerunner of the [[Paralympic Games]] — founded in 1948 by [[Ludwig Guttmann]].<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.720/paralympics-traces-roots-to-second-world-war-1.697123 "Paralympics traces roots to Second World War"], CBC, September 3, 2008</ref> He was a neurosurgeon at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital who recognised the value of exercise and competition in the rehabilitation of ex-members of the British armed forces. By 1961 Guttmann had founded the [[British Sports Association for the Disabled]] (now named [[English Federation of Disability Sport]]), expanding the concept of organising sport for men, women and children with disabilities and developing Stoke Mandeville Stadium into an international centre of disabled sport. The stadium was officially opened by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] on 2 August 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/443928/medal-commemorating-the-opening-of-the-stoke-mandeville-sports-stadium-1969|title=Medal commemorating the Opening of the Stoke Mandeville Sports Stadium, 1969|publisher=Royal Collection Trust|access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref>

When Sir [[Ludwig Guttmann]] died in 1980 the Stadium was renamed '''Ludwig Guttmann Sports Centre for the Disabled'''. In 1993 the Stadium hosted the first international ex-service wheelchair games, organised by the [[Royal British Legion]] and opened by King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan. In 2001, following a £10 million refurbishment, it was again renamed as "Stoke Mandeville Stadium". The [[List of Olympic mascots|Paralympic mascot]] [[Wenlock and Mandeville|Mandeville]] is so named due to the legacy with the games.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/8690467.stm BBC Wenlock and Mandeville]</ref>

==Facilities== Facilities include a 400-metre outdoor running track, Cazenove Sports Hall, a 25m six-lane swimming pool, tennis courts and an indoor bowls arena. In addition the Stadium has its own "Olympic Village" accommodation for athletes and the Olympic Lodge Hotel and the Wolfson Conference Centre provide guest facilities.

==1984 Summer Paralympic Games== {{main|1984 Summer Paralympics}} Stoke Mandeville Stadium was one of the two venues of the [[1984 Summer Paralympics|VII Paralympic Games]], the last of the Summer [[Paralympic Games|Paralympics]] not held in the same venue as the Summer [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] Games.

== Paralympic Flame Lighting == From the [[Paris 2024 Paralympic Games]], Stoke Mandeville will be the lighting point for all future Paralympic torches. In the same way the Olympic Flame is kindled at [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia in Greece]], the start of the [[Paralympic Games|Paralympic]] Torch Relay will begin in [[Buckinghamshire]]. This is in recognition of [[Stoke Mandeville]]’s legacy as the birthplace of the [[Paralympic Games|Paralympic]] movement.

The Paralympic Flame Relay first started at Stoke Mandeville Stadium ahead of the [[London 2012 Paralympic Games]] and a flame was created every two years ahead of winter and summer Games.

== See also == *[[IWAS World Games]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book|title=Spirit of Stoke Mandeville: The Story of Sir Ludwig Guttmann|last=Goodman|first=Susan|year=1986|publisher=Collins|location=London|isbn=0-00-217341-7}} * {{cite book|title=Britain and the Olympic Games: Past, Present, Legacy |last=Rogan|first=Matt|year=2010|publisher=Matador|isbn=978-1-84876-575-7}} * {{cite book|title=Stoke Mandeville: Road to the Paralympics|last=Scruton|first=Joan|year=1998|publisher=The Peterhouse Press|location=Aylesbury|isbn=978-0-946312-10-8}} * {{cite book|title=History of the Treatment of Spinal Injuries|last=Silver|first=John Russell|year=2003|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-0-306-48032-4}}

==External links== *[http://www.stokemandevillestadium.co.uk/ Stoke Mandeville Stadium website] *[http://www.www.wheelpower.org.uk WheelPower website]

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Buckinghamshire]] [[Category:Sports venues in Buckinghamshire]] [[Category:Sports venues completed in 1969]] [[Category:Paralympic Games]] [[Category:Sports science]] [[Category:1984 Summer Paralympics]] [[Category:Sports academies]] [[Category:Stoke Mandeville|Stadium]] [[Category:Parasports in England]] [[Category:1969 establishments in England]]