Abstract
In this study, the author made a detailed examination of the background to the development of the International Stoke Mandeville Games (ISMG) with a focus on archery. It approaches the subject from the viewpoint of Ludwig Guttmann's thinking with regard to the games, using the magazine "The Cord" as historical material. a) After the Fearnley Cup was awarded in 1956, patients with spinal cord damage were keen to participate in the Olympics and it became more likely that the ISMG would become an Olympic-style event. Archery, which is advocated by Ludwig Guttmann as the "ideal game" in which disabled people can compete with the able-bodied, became popular internationally as the number of rounds increased. As such the level of competition in the sport improved, and new rounds were added to the Olympic Games. b) A coaches' meeting was held where each nation was encouraged to fully engage in the games. The coaches and athletes became representatives of their home countries and took on the role of diffusing the sport to patients of spinal cord damage there. c) The number of countries and athletes participating in the ISMG grew. It can be said that the foundation of the ISMG was supported by sportsmanship of the athletes. That, in addition to the courage and bravery to aim to win by overcoming disability, is the "spirit of the Stoke Mandeville Games."
