The first Paralympic Games took place following World War II in 1948, when a sporting event for injured soldiers was organised at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire, UK. Four years later, the 'Stoke Mandeville Games' - as it was then called - was repeated at the same site with 130 competitors, including veterans from the Netherlands. The first official Paralympic Games took place in 1960 alongside the summer Olympics in Rome, with 400 athletes from 23 different countries.

第一届残奥会在1948年二战后举行。当时在英国白金汉郡的Stoke Mandeville 医院举办了一次受伤士兵的体育赛事。四年后，有着 Stoke Mandeville Games 之称的运动会在同一地点举行，当时130名参赛者中包括来自荷兰的退伍军人。 第一届正式残奥会是1960年与夏季奥运会同时在罗马举行，参加此次残奥会的有来自23个国家的400名运动员 。