Google on Saturday honoured Sir Ludwig “Poppa” Guttman, one of the founding fathers of the ‘Paralympic Movement’, on his 122nd birth anniversary with a doodle illustrated by Baltimore-based artist Ashanti Fortson.

The sporty doodle displays Sir Guttman’s photo at the centre with various paralympic games being drawn around him.

Sir Guttmann, a neurologist-professor not only laid the foundations for the treatment of paraplegics but was also one of the founders of the world-famous Paralympic Games.

The illustration of the doodle has been done by Ashanti Fortson, a guest artist based out of Baltimore. Speaking about his illustration, Fortson said that he hopes that his doodle can help spark thoughts about how we can understand each other without dehumanization, what creating equitable access can mean, and how we can each go above and beyond to create equitable and accessible spaces for each other.

Sir Guttmann was born in 1899 in Tost, Germany (now Toszek, Poland). He received his MD in 1924. He specialised in spinal cord injuries and performed several neurosurgical procedures, which made him one of the most prominent figures of Germany’s medical fraternity in the early 1930s.

Guttmann advanced his research in paraplegia after he moved to England in early 1939.

In 1948, he organized a 16-person archery contest, one of the first official competitive sporting events for people in wheelchairs.

The sporting event was later called the “Stoke Mandeville Games” or the “Olympics for the Disabled”. The competition saw the power of elite sport to break down barriers for disability and received widespread attention from global medical and sporting communities.

In 1960, Guttmann facilitated the International Stoke Mandeville Games, following the 1960 Summer Olympics, the first of many Paralympic Games.

He was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 1966.

The Paralympic athletes today are rightfully recognized for their skills and achievements in the field. These games continue to promote the rights and independence of people with disabilities while creating a lasting impact on equality in treatment and opportunity.

(Edited by : Aditi Gautam)

First Published:Jul 3, 2021 11:41 AM IST