WheelPower

WheelPower is the national organisation for wheelchair sports in the United Kingdom, and aims to help people with disabilities improve their quality of life.

Formally named the British Wheelchair Sports Foundation, it is a registered charity^[1] and is based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Buckinghamshire. Its Patrons include Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Ade Adepitan.

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History

WheelPower originally formed in 1972 (52 years ago) (1972) as the British Paraplegic Sports Society.

The organisation was founded by the late Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who revolutionised the treatment of people with spinal cord injury at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the late 1940s. Guttmann began using sport as a vital part of the rehabilitation of Second World War veterans and in 1948 he set up a competition between sports clubs and other hospitals to coincide with the London Olympic Games.

From those early days a worldwide sports movement has developed for not only those with spinal injuries but also many other different types of disability.

In 1952 competitors from the Netherlands took part in the competition, giving an international notion to the movement.

In 1960, the Olympics were held in Rome, and Guttmann brought 400 wheelchair athletes to the Olympic city to compete. Although officially called the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, the Paralympics were born. The first Winter Paralympics were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden in 1976.

Since 1988, the Summer Paralympics have been held in the conjunction with the Olympic Games in the same host city and this practice was adopted in 1992 for the Winter Paralympics.

The name Paralympics derives from the Greek "para" ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games. No relation with paralysis or paraplegia was intended.

Since the early days of Guttmann, WheelPower has developed a range of sports activities and nowadays works with Sports Associations.

WheelPower employs Physical Activity Advisors, often those who have been successful Para sports athletes, to work in many of the U.K. Spinal Injuries Units.

The provision of sporting facilities at Stoke Mandeville started in the 1940s and in 1969 the Stoke Mandeville Stadium was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1984 the centre played host to the Paralympic Games with some 1200 athletes taking part in a festival of sport.

WheelPower organises a range of events to assist Sports Associations develop wheelchair sport within the UK. WheelPower also organises a variety of opportunities for disabled children and adults, these include:

Inter Spinal Unit Games

Annually hosted Games for recently paralysed patients of the 12 Spinal Units within the UK and Ireland providing coaching and an opportunity to try wheelchair sport including a fun introductory competition. Previous attendees include Paralympic athlete Matt Skelhon.

National Wheelchair Sport Championships

Together with a number of Sports Associations it organises the National Wheelchair Sport Championships. Some of these events have been expanded to include an international element to provide increased competition for participants.

Sports

WheelPower supports, among others, the following sports:

References

^ "THE BRITISH WHEELCHAIR SPORTS FOUNDATION LIMITED, registered charity no. 265498". Charity Commission for England and Wales.

External links

WheelPower website

Multi-sport events

Global
Olympics	Olympic Games Summer Winter Youth Olympic Games
Parasports	Paralympic Games Summer Winter Deaflympics Summer Winter Défi sportif IBSA World Games INAS Global Games Invictus Games World Dwarf Games Special Olympics Summer Winter World Abilitysport Games
Professions	International Army Games Lumberjack World Championship World Air Games Military World Games World Police and Fire Games World Firefighters Games
Youth and students	FISU World University Games (Universiade) World School Sport Games (Gymnasiade) International Children's Games SELL Student Games World Interuniversity Games World School Sport Games Commonwealth Youth Games CPLP Games University International Sports Festival
Other types	Arafura Games CSIT World Sports Games Dew Tour Mind Sports Olympiad World Mind Sports Games World Mind Games World Beach Games World Combat Games World Games World Masters Games World Nomad Games World Skate Games World Urban Games X Games
Intercommunity	Arab Games Commonwealth Games Croatian World Games Gay Games Highland games Islamic Solidarity Games Jeux de la Francophonie Lusofonia Games Maccabiah Games Pan-Armenian Games World Transplant Games World Eskimo Indian Olympics World Indigenous Games World Outgames World Polonia Games

Regional
Africa	African Games African Para Games African Youth Games All-Africa University Games West African University Games
Americas	Pan American Pan American Games Parapan American Games Junior Pan American Games Americas Masters Games Central American and the Caribbean Central American and Caribbean Games Central American Games Latin American ALBA Games Bolivarian Games North American CANUSA Games North American Indigenous Games North American Outgames South American South American Games South American Beach Games South American Para Games South American University Games South American Youth Games Caribbean Caribbean Games
Asia	Pan Asian Asian Games Summer Winter Asian Para Games Asian Beach Games Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Asian Youth Games Southeast Asian SEA Games ASEAN School Games ASEAN University Games ASEAN Para Games Central Asian Games East Asian Youth Games South Asian Games West Asian Games¹
Europe	Black Sea Games¹ European Games European Masters Games European Championships European Para Championships European Para Youth Games European Youth Olympic Festival Games of the Small States of Europe EuroGames European Universities Championships European Universities Games
Oceania	Australian Youth Olympic Festival Micronesian Games Pacific Games Pacific Mini Games Arafura Games Pan Pacific Masters Games
Intercontinental	Arab Games Arctic Winter Games Asia Pacific Deaf Games Asia Pacific Masters Games Isles Indian Ocean Island Games Island Games Jeux des îles Mediterranean Games

National

Africa

South African Games¹

Americas

Canada British Columbia Ontario Quebec Saskatchewan Western Colombia United States amateur juniors seniors Warrior Games
NCSG, United States³	Alabama California Florida Massachusetts Missouri Montana Nebraska New York North Carolina North Dakota¹ Lakota Nation Texas Wisconsin

Asia

Bangladesh
China
- All-China Games
- National Games
- National Peasants' Games
- National Youth Games
- National Ethnic Games
India
- Youth
- University
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Mongolia
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
- Summer
- Winter
Thailand
- Youth
Vietnam
Taiwan
- National
- Amateur
- Youth
- University

Europe

Netherlands¹
Poland (youth)
Spartakiad of Albania¹
Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR¹
- youth¹
WheelPower

Historical¹
Pre-Modern Olympics (in order, from 1900 BC to 1859 AD)	Tailteann Games (ancient) Panhellenic Games Ancient Olympic Games Pythian Games Nemean Games Isthmian Games Heraean Games Panathenaic Games Roman Games Cotswold Olimpick Games Gog Magog Games Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games Zappas Olympics
Alternatives to the Modern Olympics	Aryan Games Friendship Games GANEFO Goodwill Games Inter-Allied Games Islamic Games Liberty Bell Classic People's Olympiad Workers' Olympiads Spartakiad
Defunct regional or community events	Afro-Asian Games Asian Indoor Games Asian Martial Arts Games Baltic Sea Games Black Sea Games Central African Games East Asian Games Far Eastern Championship Games FESPIC Games Games of the New Emerging Forces Pacific Ocean Games Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR Tailteann Games (modern) West African Games Women's Islamic Games World Youth Games IWAS World Games Cerebral Palsy Games

Winter games
International	Olympics Paralympics Winter University Games FIS Games Nordic Games¹ Commonwealth¹ World Scout Arctic Winter Games Kennedy Memorial¹ New Zealand Winter Games Winter World Masters Games
Regional	National Winter Games of China Asian Winter Games European Youth Olympic Festival Winter X Games Europe Russian–Chinese Winter Youth Games