Sir Ludwig Guttman 122nd Birth Anniversary: He is the 'father of the Paralympics and is credited as the man responsible for founding the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic movement as a whole.
Google honours Sir Ludwig Guttmann on 3 July, 2021. The doodle is made to remember him on his 122nd birthday.
An artist named Ashanti Fortson designed Google Doodle. He is a guest artist based out of Baltimore. It shows Sir Luttmann right in the middle and various moments from Paralympic Games that are drawn around him.
Know about Sir Ludwig Guttmann
He was born on 3 July 1899 in Tost, Germany (now Toszek in Poland) into an Orthodox Jewish family.
In 1924, he took his MD degree and then worked with Europe’s leading neurologist Professor Otfrid Foerster.
In 1928, he was invited to start a neurological unit in Hamburg.
He became a neurologist at the Jewish hospital in Breslau before being elected Medical Director of the hospital in 1937.
Because of the Nazi persecution of the Jews, he and his family left Germany in early 1939.
He did more research work there, mainly in a condition known as paraplegia.
He organised a 16-person archery contest for wheelchair users which became the brainchild of what is now known as 'Paralympic Games' in 1948.
Later known as the “Stoke Mandeville Games” or the “Olympics for the Disabled". It was the competition that demonstrated the power of elite sport to break down barriers for disability and garnered the attention of global medical and sporting communities.
In 1960, Sir Ludwig Guttmann declared the first-ever international Paralympic Games open. Across the world, his research in spinal cord injuries and other aspects is remembered by the medical fraternity.
In 1961, he also founded the International Medical Society of Paraplegia (the International Spinal Cord Society) and the British Sports Association for the Disabled (Activity Alliance).
His valuable contribution is never been forgotten for giving a platform to the disabled community.
He received several accolades for his contributions but the highest among which was being knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 1966.
The Paralympic Games has broken down the barriers and brought people together to celebrate the disabled community. It provides endless possibilities to perform them in the best possible way. The Paralympic Games continue to be a driving force for promoting the rights and independence of people with disabilities.
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