On August 24, the Paralympic flamewill be lit in Stoke Mandeville, England, and travel to France for the start of the Paralympic Games on August 28, 2024. Yes: this flame leaves from England and not Greece, like the one that symbolizes the Olympic Games. Indeed, the two events have different histories and origins; we explain.
As you know, the modern Olympic Games were inspired by the tournaments organized in ancient Greece. In homage to this origin, the Olympic flame, the symbol of the Games, always leaves from Greece and makes the long journey to the host country. The Paralympic Games, on the other hand, are much more recent and did not originate in Greece.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, a large part of Europe's population found itself handicapped. War wounded, civilian victims, survivors and former prisoners, people sick or weakened by conflict and deprivation: societies had to adapt and make room for these battered bodies. Numerous sports have been created or adapted as a result: such as goalball,wheelchair fencing, wheelchair basketball...
In 1948, British doctor Ludwig Guttmann, a neurologist at the Stoke Mandeville military hospital, decided to create a sports competition to aid the recovery of soldiers and war victims treated at the hospital where he practiced. Wheelchair-bound veterans compete in a variety of sports and games. This unprecedented tournament is considered to be theorigin of the Paralympic Games.
The "Stoke Mandeville Games" gradually expanded, welcoming more and more international athletes until 1960, when the competition was held for the first time in Rome, a week after the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games were officially born on that date, and have continued to develop and expand ever since.
As a reminder of the English origins of these Games, the Paralympic flame therefore always departs from the town of Stock Mandeville, located between Oxford and London. This summer 2024, it will reach Paris after a busy journey through France.
JOP 2024: the complete route of the Paralympic Torch Relay in Paris and Île-de-France
As with the Olympic Games, a torch relay takes place before the Paralympics, and will pass through the whole of Ile-de-France on August 27, 2024, then end its journey the following day in the capital. Find out more! [Read more]
JOP 2024: the complete route of the Paralympic Torch Relay in Paris and Île-de-France
