The Paralympic Flame was lit this Saturday (24), in the English city of Stoke Mandeville, birthplace of the Paralympic movement, with just four days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games, which will take place in the city of Paris (France).
“For everyone involved in the Paralympic Movement, Stoke Mandeville represents sacred and cherished ground. It was here, 76 years ago, that the visionary pioneer Sir Ludwig Guttmann [neurologista alemão que foi um dos primeiros a usar o esporte para a reabilitação de pessoas com deficiência] created the Paralympic Movement”, declared the president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Brazilian Andrew Parsons.
The Paralympic flame has been lit! 🔥
In an event supported by @SamsungMobilethe Paralympic Flame for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was created at Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement.
📷 by John Phillips/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/DZlslKmUKi
— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) August 24, 2024
“By organizing a sporting event for 16 wounded World War II veterans, using parasports as a form of rehabilitation, Guttmann started something very special. Through sport, he created a transformational movement that today has a profound impact on a global level, improving the lives of millions of people with disabilities. Little did he know that what he created here in 1948 would become one of the world’s greatest sporting events. The Paralympic Games are now a spectacular showcase for sport, an event that attracts billions of global viewers and the only global event with impact that puts people with disabilities at the forefront,” said the Brazilian leader.
The Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games will be held next Wednesday (28), starting at 3 pm (Brasília time). Brazil will be represented at the mega sporting event by 280 athletes, 255 of whom are disabled, from 20 sports.
