the extraordinary story of Ludwig Guttmann in the book by Roberto Riccardi
Here you are sport as a tool of recovery of dignityincreased urgency of life, source of success and competitive satisfactions for people with disabilities. A story that of Ludwig GuttmannGerman neurosurgeon who escaped the yoke of the Nazi threat, e father of the Paralympic movementthat the General Robert Riccardi – Commander of the Carabinieri of Trentino Alto Adige and appreciated author of historical and mystery novels – he tells in the book “A champion’s heart”, with the respect and admiration due to the Righteous, to the great characters of history. In the background, as in other books by Riccardi, the theme of the Shoah recurs.
From Germany to England, where the extraordinary of Guttmann becomes even more tangible through a revolution he made in the field of paraplegia. In 1944 in Stoke Mandeville, in a remote hospital in the English countryside, he managed to transfer one more reason to carry on to the seriously wounded of war: sporting activity and healthy competition – which then resulted in the “Stoke Mandeville Games” – which would have brought them to life. And it’s in 1960, year of the Rome Olympics, that Guttmann’s story is intertwined with that of the Italian doctor Anthony May. From there the Paralympics were born. In the background, as in other books by Riccardi, the theme of the Shoah recurs.
In the video the interview with Gen. Roberto Riccardi, author of the book “A champion’s heart – History of Ludwig Guttmann”