History of Stoke Mandeville Stadium

• 1940 - Stoke Mandeville Hospital built as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Hospital.
• 1944 - 1st February Dr.Ludwig Guttmann came to Stoke Mandeville Hospital to set up a new spinal unit to deal with war casualties suffering from spinal cord injuries. By the end of 1944 the Unit had increased to over 60 beds. By the time of Dr. Guttmann’s retirement in 1966 the number of beds stood at 190.
• 1945 - After the end of the war, the spinal unit at Barnsley Hall, Basingstoke, Leatherhead, Llandrindod Wells and Winwick were closed and their patients transferred to Stoke Mandeville.
• 1948 - Stoke Mandeville Games founded with 16 ex-members of the British forces.
• 1950 - 14 teams competed at the games with a total of 60 competitors.
• 1952 - The first overseas team from the Netherlands competed at the Games.
• 1954 - 14 nations were represented at the Games.
• 1960 - First Paralympic Games in Rome.
• 1961 - Guttmann founded British Sports Association for the Disabled, introducing organised sport to men, women and children with disabilities other than spinal paraplegia.
• 1968 - Work started on Stoke Mandeville Sports Stadium, built on hospital land leased by the Ministry of Health at a cost of £350,000. Organisation of the Games passed to the Paraplegic Sports Endowment Fund (later British Paraplegic Sports Society and then British Wheelchair Sports Foundation).
• 1969 - 2nd August, HRH Queen Elizabeth performed the official opening ceremony of the Stadium. 1969 was also the 21st Anniversary of the International Stoke Mandeville Games.
• 1979 - 400-metre outdoor running track added to the facilities.
• 1974 - The Lady Guttmann Indoor Bowls Centre built.
• 1980 - 18th March Sir Ludwig Guttmann died aged 80, subsequently the Stadium complex was renamed the Ludwig Guttmann Sports Centre for the Disabled – Stoke Mandeville.
• 1981 - The Olympic Village was opened by the BPSS President, The Right Hon. Lord Porritt.
• 2000 - Centre closed for major £10million refurbishment.
• 2003 - 1st March, newly named ‘Stoke Mandeville Stadium’ re-opens.
• 2003 - 8th April, HRH The Prince of Wales officially re-opens Stadium.