Abstrakt
This chapter presents an account of the development of the Kladruby Games in Czechoslovakia. These were games for people with physical disabilities (primarily World War II veterans), which were founded in 1948 by Vojmír Srdečný, just before Ludwig Guttman's Stoke Mandeville Games, and which celebrated their 100th edition in 2017.
It is important to emphasize that the primary goal of both games was to promote sport as part of the healing process for patients with disabilities, emphasizing rehabilitation and socialization. Thus, their foundational concepts differed from the currently more familiar Paralympic Games, in their emphasis on social, recreational and rehabilitation values, rather than on elite sport performance.
In conclusion, the chapter discusses the differences and similarities between the Kladruby Games and the Stoke Mandeville Games.