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The Paralympic Games Paris 2024 The Paralympics are comparable to the Olympic Games (“para” in Latin means beside or alongside). The first Paralympic Games, held in Rome 1960, were the culmination of Prof. Sir Ludwig Guttmann’s vision. Jewish physician Prof. Guttmann fled Poland with his family due to the Nazis and established a rehabilitation facility, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in England. At his hospital, Guttmann was the first to incorporate sports in general and competitive sports in particular, into the rehabilitation process for British soldiers with spinal cord injuries. The Paralympic Games have continued to take place every four years, and since 1988 in the same host city, utilizing the same facilities and Olympic Village. Israel was a pioneer in international Paralympic sports. In the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s Israeli Paralympians, most of whom were disabled IDF veterans and polio survivors, had numerous achievements and won many medals. Over the years, more and more countries began to take part in the Paralympics and achievements in the various sporting events have reached new heights. In the last Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Israel won nine medals, six of which were gold. Swimmers Mark Malyar, Ami Dadaon and Iyad Shalabi woneight of the medals and Moran Samuel won silver in the single sculls event. Some 4000 athletes from 180 countries will march in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 on August 28, 2024. The 10-day event will include 22 different sports. The Israeli delegation will include 28athletes in ten sports. Wheelchair Tennis Wheelchair Tennis entered the Paralympics at the Athens 2004 games. Wheelchair tennis features players with lower limb disabilities, divided into two categories: “open” for athletes with only lower limb disabilities and “quad” for athletes with upper body limitations as well. The rules, court and rackets are identical to Olympic tennis, with the main difference being the “two-bounce rule”, whereby the ball can bounce twice before being hit. Israel’s most prominent Paralympian in this field was Noam Gershony, a disabled IDF veteran, a combat helicopter pilot, who won the gold medal in London 2012. A number of athletes in both categories will represent Israel in Paris. All the Philatelic items which have been Issue September 2024
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