Sir Ludwig ‘Poppa’ Guttmann honoured in England Athletics Hall of Fame

Sir Ludwig ‘Poppa’ Guttmann, the Stoke Mandeville doctor who started the Paralympic Games, has been inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.

The legendary professor, who died in 1980 at 80 years old, was one of just nine people honoured at Birmingham’s NEC last month for their outstanding contribution to athletics.

The Hall of Fame trophy was presented to his daughter Eva Loeffler by BBC commentator Paul Dickenson. Paul, from Hazlemere, who is on the Hall of Fame panel, said the growth of disability sport and the Paralympics was due to Poppa Guttman.

He said:

“He was the guy who started it all off. It’s come a long way since then, but he was solely responsible for starting it off. He was a real star.”

He added Poppa’s daughter was ‘over the moon’ to receive the accolade.

England Athletics is the governing body for athletics in the country. Chief Executive Chris Jones said:

“The England Athletics Hall of Fame is there to enable us to recognise and draw inspiration from those individuals who have made a profound impact on the sport of athletics in England. In being inducted, Prof Sir Ludwig Guttmann joins the likes of Lord Coe, Dame Kelly Holmes, Sally Gunnell, Sir Roger Bannister and Daley Thompson. He also joins two of our greatest ever Paralympic athletes, Noel Thatcher and David Holding. His work paved the way for what they achieved. I am conscious that Sir Ludwig’s work has not only benefited athletics. However, it is fitting that we as a sport have recognised the contribution that he has made to athletics and the debt of gratitude we owe him.”

Chairman of Bucks Legacy Board Carl Etholen said:

“We are thrilled to hear that Sir Ludwig has deservedly been honoured in this way. This richly befits a man whose legacy lives on so powerfully today.”

The honour follows the recent unveiling of a life-sized statue of the professor at the National Spinal Injuries Unit at Stoke Mandeville.