Historical information
The International Stoke-Mandevile Games, held in Tel-Aviv in 1968, were later classified as the third edition of the Paralympics.
The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games (or IWAS World Games) are a multi-sport competition for athletes with a disability, which under the former name of the International Stoke Mandeville Games were the forerunner of the Paralympic Games. The competition has been formerly known as the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games, the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games, the Stoke Mandeville Games, the World Wheelchair Games, and in the 1960s and 1970s was often referred to as the Wheelchair Olympics.
The Games were originally held in 1948 by neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who organized a sporting competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital rehabilitation facility in Aylesbury, England, taking place concurrently with the first post-war Summer Olympics in London. In 1952, the Netherlands joined in the event, creating the first international sports competition for the disabled. In 1960, the Ninth Stoke Mandeville Games were held in Rome, Italy, following that year's Olympic Games. These are considered to be the first Paralympic Games.[1] The 2012 Paralympic mascot Mandeville was named after Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
While the Paralympic Games evolved to include athletes from all disability groups, the Stoke Mandeville games continued to be organized as a multi-sport event for wheelchair athletes. Games were held annually in Aylesbury under the direction of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), which became the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF)..
Physical description
Plastic medallion encasing a paper disc commemorating the 1968 Stoke-Mandeville Games for the Paralysed.
Inscriptions & markings
Inscriptions (English):
Front: Municipalities - Nazareth Elite - Nazareth.
Reverse: The International Stoke-Mandeville Games for the Paralysed - Israel '68. Friendship - Unity - Sportsmanship.
On both sides of the medallions there are what are likely to be the equivalent Hebrew and Arabic translations.
Images induces
Front: Logos of unknown organisations.
Reverse: Logo for the 1968 Paralympics, showing three interlocking wheels to represent their values: friendship, unity and sportsmanship
