World Abilitysport Games
Template:Short descriptionTemplate:Infobox sports league
The World Abilitysport Games (known as the IWAS World Games before 2023) are a parasports multi-sport event for athletes who use wheelchairs or are amputees. Organized by World Abilitysport (formerly IWAS), the Games are a successor to the original Stoke Mandeville Games founded in 1948 by Ludwig Guttmann, and specifically the International Stoke Mandeville Games—the first international sporting competition for athletes with disabilities which was held in 1952, itself an Olympic year, between British and Dutch athletes and which ultimately was the forerunner to the modern Paralympic Games.
The 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 editions of the International Stoke Mandeville Games were held in the same host country as the Summer Olympics; they were retroactively recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the first four Summer Paralympic Games. The event continued to be held annually, as simply the International Stoke Mandeville Games, in between Paralympic years.
After the Paralympics expanded to include events for disability classifications other than wheelchairs, the ISMG for wheelchair athletes continued to be hosted annually in Stoke Mandeville, and later other countries, in all non-Paralympic years.
In 2024 the previous IWAS merged with the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) to form World Abilitysport and the IWAS World Games were once more renamed World Abilitysport Games accordingly.
A separate event to be known as the Guttmann Games for events and disciplines not yet on the Paralympic Game schedules, organised by World Abilitysport, has been planned for 2024.
History
[edit]The event was first established in 1948 as the Stoke Mandeville Games by neurologist 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 Olympic Games in London. In 1952, the Netherlands joined in the event, creating the first international sports competition for athletes with a disability, after which it was renamed the International Stoke Mandeville Games.<ref name="handbook">Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1960 and subsequent Olympic years, the ISMG began to increasingly be hosted in the same country (if not the same host city) as their respective Olympics, with all other editions remaining in Stoke Mandeville. The Games were also increasingly referred to as "Paralympics", originally in reference to paraplegia, but later officially referring to an event operating in parallel with the Olympic movement. While the Paralympic Games expanded to include athletes from all disability groups beginning in 1976, the Stoke Mandeville Games continued to be organized as a multi-sport event for wheelchair athletes in non-Paralympic years. Games were held annually in Aylesbury under the direction of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), which later became the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF).
In 2003, the Games were combined with a competition for amputee athletes organized by the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD). In 2004, ISMWSF and ISOD merged to create the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS). The Games were subsequently renamed the "World Wheelchair and Amputee Games" in 2005, and later renamed to simply the "IWAS World Games".
In 2024, IWAS merged with the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) to form World Abilitysport.
Games by year
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The inaugural competition, initially named "Stoke Mandeville Games for the Paralyzed" in 1948, was just named "Stoke Mandeville Games" the next year, before becoming the "International Stoke Mandeville Games" (ISMG) in 1952.
Beginning in 1960 during Summer Olympic years, the ISMG were held in the same host city as the Summer Olympics. These particular editions of the Games were retroactively recognised as being the first four Paralympic Games. The Games were otherwise hosted in Stoke Mandeville in all other years. Beginning in 1976, the Paralympic Games began hosting events for amputees and the visually impaired; at this point, the Paralympics were no longer credited as being editions of the ISMG, but the ISMG went on hiatus during Paralympic years.
| Year | Name of the event | Host | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke Mandeville Games | |||
| 1948 | Stoke Mandeville Games for the Paralyzed<ref>Paralympics: Where Heroes Come Template:Webarchive, by Dr. Robert Steadward and Cynthia Peterson. Edmonton, Alberta: One Shot Holdings Ltd., 1997, melazerte.com, May 30, 2010.</ref> | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | July 28, 1948, archery competition, 16 competitors<ref name=past>Remembering Paralympics past, BBC, July 15, 2008.</ref> (14 men, 2 women<ref>The Paralympics: It all started with Veterans Template:Webarchive. Veteran Affairs Canada</ref>) |
| 1949 | Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | Six teams competed.'wheelchair netball' (later wheelchair basketball) was introduced.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1950 | Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1951 | Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| International Stoke Mandeville Games | |||
| 1952 | 1st International Stoke Mandeville Games<ref>Chronology of Events in the Development of Wheelchair Basketball Template:Webarchive, International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF)</ref> | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | A Dutch team participated, making it an international event for the first time.<ref name=past/> |
| 1953 | 2nd International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1954 | 3rd International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1955 | 4th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1956 | 5th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1957 | 6th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1958 | 7th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1959 | 8th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| Combined International Stoke Mandeville Games and Paralympic Games era | |||
| 1960 | 9th International Stoke Mandeville Games<ref name="ipc">Rome 1960, International Paralympic Committee (IPC)</ref> and 1960 Summer Paralympics | Template:Flagicon Rome, Italy | 400 competitors from 23 countries (10 with medalists) in 8 sports. First edition occurring outside UK, in the same host city as the Summer Olympic Games.
Held in Rome in the hope of becoming better internationally recognized and integrated with other national and international sports federations to organize what will become recognised as the Paralympic Games. |
| 1961 | 10th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1962 | 11th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1963 | 12th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1964 | 13th International Stoke Mandeville Games<ref>The Thirteenth International Stoke Mandeville Games for The Paralysed, dinf.ne.jp, March 17, 1999.</ref> and 1964 Summer Paralympics | Template:FlagiconTokyo, Japan | Second Paralympic Games retrospectively |
| 1965 | 14th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1966 | 15th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1967 | 16th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1968 | 17th International Stoke Mandeville Games<ref name=iwas>Summer Games Governance 1960 to 1992 Template:Webarchive, International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS)</ref> and 1968 Summer Paralympics | Template:Flagicon Tel Aviv, Israel | Third Paralympic Games retrospectively. First edition held outside the Olympic host city. |
| 1969 | 18th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1970 | 19th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1971 | 20th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1972 | 1972 Summer Paralympics<ref name=iwas/><ref>21st Wheelchair Olympics, by Charles J. Bierbauer, The Pittsburgh Press, August 1, 1972, Google News Archive Search</ref> and 21st International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Heidelberg, West Germany | Fourth Paralympic Games retrospectively, First edition where 'Paralympic Games' title took primacy. Final edition which served as both International Stoke Mandeville Games and Paralympic Games. Held in Olympic host country for first time since 1964. |
| 1973 | 22nd International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1974 | 23rd International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1975 | 24th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| Paralympic Games and International Stoke Mandeville Games diverge. | |||
| 1977 | 25th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1978 | 26th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1979 | 27th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1981 | 28th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1982 | 29th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1983 | 30th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1985 | 31st International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1986 | 32nd International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1987 | 33rd International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1989 | 34th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1990 | 35th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1991 | 36th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1993 | 37th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1994 | 38th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| 1995 | 39th International Stoke Mandeville Games | Template:Flagicon Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom | |
| World Wheelchair Games | |||
| 1997 | World Wheelchair Games | From 1997, the International Stoke Mandeville Games became the "World Wheelchair Games" | |
| 1998 | World Wheelchair Games | ||
| 1999 | World Wheelchair Games | Template:Flagicon Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 2001 | World Wheelchair Games<ref name="worldwheelchairgames">2003 World Wheelchair Games / Jeux Mondiaux 2003 Template:Webarchive, Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association</ref> | ||
| 2002 | World Wheelchair Games<ref name="worldwheelchairgames" /> | ||
| 2003 | World Wheelchair Games<ref name="worldwheelchairgames"/> | Template:Flagicon Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| World Wheelchair and Amputee Games | |||
| 2005 | World Wheelchair and Amputee Games<ref>2005 World Wheelchair and Amputee Games Template:Webarchive, cwsa.ca</ref> | Template:Flagicon Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Renamed "World Wheelchair and Amputee Games"
Over 700 athletes from 44 nations. Five events: track and field, table tennis, archery, shooting, and billiards.<ref>21. Sports – Accomplishments Abroad – The First IWAS World Wheelchair and Amputee Games Template:Webarchive, gio.gov.tw</ref> |
| 2006 | World Wheelchair and Amputee Games | Template:Flagicon Bangalore, Karnataka, India | |
| 2007 | World Wheelchair and Amputee Games<ref>Singapore wins 14 medals at 2007 World Wheelchair and Amputee Games, sglead.wordpress.com, September 18, 2007.</ref> | Template:Flagicon Taipei, Chinese Taipei | |
| IWAS World Games | |||
| 2009 | IWAS World Games<ref>Official website of the 2009 IWAS World Games Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>2009 IWAS World Wheelchair & Amputee Games, International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>The Official Website of 2009 IWAS World Games Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>2009 IWAS World GamesTemplate:Dead link, International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS), November 24, 2009.</ref> | Template:Flagicon Bangalore, Karnataka, India | Renamed the IWAS World Games. IWAS World Games move to a biennial cycle from 2010. |
| 2011 | IWAS World Games | Template:Flagicon Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | December 1–10, 2011<ref>IWAS announced today that the bid to host the IWAS World GamesTemplate:Dead link, International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS), February 8, 2011.</ref> |
| 2013 | IWAS World Games | Template:Flagicon Stadskanaal, Netherlands | |
| 2015 | IWAS World Games | Template:Flagicon Sochi, Russia | |
| 2017 | IWAS World Games | Template:Flagicon Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal | |
| 2019 | IWAS World Games | Template:Flagicon Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | IWAS World Games returned to annual cycle |
| Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||
| Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||
| 2022 | IWAS World Games<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Flagicon Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal | Originally scheduled to be hosted by Sochi, IWAS stripped Sochi of its hosting rights in March 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from participating.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Games were relocated to Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal, which was originally scheduled to host the Games in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| World Abilitysport Games | |||
| 2023 | World Abilitysport Games<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Flagicon Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Renamed "World Abilitysport Games" after the merger of IWAS and Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA). The separate CPISRA Games are not considered part of the history of the WASG. |
IWAS Under 23 World Games (IWAS Junior World Games)
[edit]For some years now, the IWAS Federation has hosted junior competitions, which were named IWAS World Junior Games by 2015. Since 2016 they are called IWAS Under 23 World Games and will only be played in years with even numbers.<ref>IWAS announces a new look for their IWAS Games programmeTemplate:Dead link, auf: iwasf.com, retrieved 9 September 2016.</ref>
World Abilitysport Guttmann Games
[edit]Template:Update In 2024, World Abilitysport announced its inaugural World Abilitysport Guttmann Games. Named after the founder of the Stoke Mandeville Games, the event will take place in Stoke Mandeville in July 2024, and feature competition in sports not on the Paralympic programme. It is scheduled to feature para dance sport and power hockey competitions, as well as wheelchair cricket as a demonstration sport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The event will be broadly analogous to the World Games, a similar multi-sport event for non-Olympic sports and disciplines.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Summer Games Governance 1960 to 1992, IWAS
- IWAS World Games from the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) website
- "2012 – The Paralympics come home", BBC, July 4, 2008. A look back at the origins of the Stoke Mandeville Games.