Paralympic movement was born in Stoke Park , outside London , in 1948 . Many were military veterans injured on the battlefields of World War II . The Games will be the biggest yet , with 800 competitors from 165 countries . In an echo of the first , post - World War II Games , injured veterans are among the participants . They include a British naval officer blinded in Afghanistan and a Briton who lost an arm in Iraq .
Paralympic movement was born in Stoke Park , outside London , in 1948 . The Games will be the biggest yet , with 800 competitors from 165 countries . In an echo of the first , post - World War II Games , injured veterans are among the participants . They include a British naval officer blinded in Afghanistan and a Briton who lost an arm in Iraq .