The Games were originally held in 1976 by neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who organized a sporting competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital rehabilitation facility in Aylesbury, England, taking place concurrently with the first post-war Summer Olympics in London.
In 1952, the Netherlands joined in the event, creating the first international sports competition for disabled people.
Games were held annually in Aylesbury under the direction of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), which became the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF).
In 2023 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) and Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) mergered into World Abilitysport.
[4] The first edition World Abilitysport Games was Nakhon Ratchasima 2023 in Thailand.