Ludwig Guttmann

Neurosurgeon who invented the Paralympic Games against Nazi-era prejudices

Sir Ludwig Guttmann (1899–1980) revolutionized disability treatment by founding the Paralympic Games – now the world's third-largest sporting event. Forced to flee Nazi Germany, this Jewish doctor transformed Stoke Mandeville Hospital into a rehabilitation hub where wheelchair sports became therapy.

In 1948, Guttmann organized the Stoke Mandeville Games coinciding with London Olympics, challenging the notion that spinal injury patients were 'hopeless cases'. His sport-as-medicine approach increased survival rates from 20% to 80% among paraplegics. The 1960 Rome Paralympics drew 400 athletes from 23 countries – a direct rebuke to Hitler's 1936 'Aryan superiority' myth.

Guttmann's biography reveals constant battles with medical establishment skeptics. Today, his legacy impacts 430 million people with disabilities worldwide through adaptive sports programs. The International Paralympic Committee credits him with 'changing how society views human potential'.