Guttmann Games Make History as Lahti Hosts First Global Celebration of Emerging Para Sports
26/08/2026
The inaugural World Abilitysport Guttmann Games brought athletes from 22 nations together in Lahti, Finland, for a celebration of competition, connection and the future of Para sport. Across competed across six sports while discovering new opportunities through the Sport Exchange Programme and forging connections across the international Para sport community. With new partnerships and returning sports helping shape the Games, the first Guttmann Games marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter for World Abilitysport.
The first-ever World Abilitysport Guttmann Games have come to a close in Lahti, Finland, marking a new chapter for international Para sport and creating a dedicated global platform for athletes competing in sports outside the Paralympic Games programme.
Held from 16–21 August at the Sport Institute of Three Campuses – Pajulahti Campus, the inaugural Games brought together athletes from 22 nations across five continents to compete in a diverse programme of six sports: Disability Snooker, Inclusive Ice Skating, Para Dance Sport, Para Laser Run, Para Triathle and Standing Tennis. The event, which marked the first multi-sport Games dedicated exclusively to non-Paralympic Games sports in the Paralympic Movement, was the brainchild of World Abilitysport’s late CEO, Charmaine Hooper.
The Games marked World Abilitysport’s first involvement with the International Para Standing Tennis Association and Inclusive Skating, with Para Standing Tennis and Ice Figure Skating making its international multi-sport Games debut within the Guttmann Games. The event provided an opportunity for athletes to compete on an international stage while introducing the sport to a wider multi-sport Para sport community.
It was the second World Abilitysport Games collaboration with World Disability Billiards and Snooker, following the sport’s debut at the 2023 World Abilitysport Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Four gold medals were contested at the Guttmann Games, with England’s Dave Beaumont, Scotland’s William Thomson and Dalton Lawrence among the gold medallists.
For Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), Lahti continued a partnership which began with the inclusion of Para Laser Run at the 2025 World Abilitysport Beach Games in Mersin. Para Laser Run returned for the Guttmann Games alongside Para Triathle, giving athletes another opportunity to compete internationally and helping to strengthen the developing UIPM Para Sports pathway. Egypt enjoyed a particularly successful competition, winning all four Para Laser Run relay categories and six of the eight Para Triathle categories.
Bringing the festivities, Para Dance Sport competed over two days attracting enthusiastic audiences of fellow athletes that filled the stands each evening.
The competition’s medal table, saw Egypt storming the standings with 20 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals, followed by Great Britain with 10 gold, five silver and three bronze. Hong Kong, China and Chinese Taipei each finished with 10 medals, while athletes from 22 nations contributed to a total of 110 medals awarded across the Games.
One of the defining features of the Games was the Sport Exchange Programme, which gave athletes the chance to step outside their own sport and experience something new.
Supported by participating International Federations, officials and, importantly, fellow athletes, the sessions created opportunities to learn new skills, share experiences and discover other sports. For many participants, the programme became one of the highlights of the week, reinforcing the idea that a multi-sport Games can be about much more than competition alone.
The programme also reflected the wider purpose behind the Guttmann Games, creating connections between sports and athletes, encouraging collaboration and helping emerging sports to build greater visibility and participation.
Named in honour of World Abilitysport founder and Paralympic Movement pioneer Sir Ludwig Guttmann, the Games celebrate the diversity and ambition of Para sport, bringing athletes together to compete, discover new opportunities, and help shape the future of their sports on the international stage.
World Abilitysport President Rudi Van den Abbeele said, “The inaugural Guttmann Games have shown what can be achieved when we are willing to create new opportunities and think differently about the future of Para sport. I would like to sincerely thank the Local Organising Committee at Pajulahti, led by Laura Kittelä for their commitment, energy and belief in this project. Their willingness to embrace new and innovative ideas made it possible to bring the first Guttmann Games to life, and we are extremely grateful for everything they have done to create such a welcoming environment for our teams and sports.”
As the first generation of Guttmann Games athletes leave Lahti, they take with them more than medals. They have been part of the beginning of a new World Abilitysport tradition, one designed to give emerging sports a stage, athletes more opportunities and the wider Para sport community new ways to compete, connect and grow.
The first chapter of the Guttmann Games story belongs to them.
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