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George Swindlehurst

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George Swindlehurst
MBE
Personal information
Full nameGeorge Henry Swindlehurst
Nationality Great Britain
Born1925 (1925)
Stockport, Cheshire
Died25 April 2009(2009-04-25) (aged 83–84)
Macclesfield, Cheshire
Medal record
Representing  United Kingdom
Paralympic Games
Table tennis
Silver medal – second place 1964 Tokyo Men's Doubles C
Bronze medal – third place 1960 Rome Men's Doubles C
Wheelchair basketball
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome Men's Tournament Class A
Silver medal – second place 1964 Tokyo Men's Tournament A complete

George Henry Swindlehurst MBE (1925-2009), also known as Ginger, was a former Paralympic athlete from Great Britain who competed in the early editions of the Paralympic Games, taking part in table tennis and wheelchair basketball. He was born in 1925 in Stockport.

He enlisted in the Coldstream Guards in 1943 at the age of 18. Whilst serving his country in Arnhem, Holland he was shot in the back and paralysed.[1]

Paralympics career

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In 1960, in Rome, Swindlehurst competed in the first Summer Paralympics as part of the men's wheelchair basketball team where he and the British team won silver in Men's Tournament Class A[2] and he won bronze in men's doubles table tennis.[3] In the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Swindlehurst won silver medals in both sports.

He competed in the men's wheelchair basketball tournaments right up to 1972. At the end of his sporting career he was awarded a Gold Medal Triad in 2000,[1] as well as receiving an MBE.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Winnie's Story - Adlington Manor" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Rome 1960 Paralympic Games: Wheelchair Basketball: Men's Tournament Class A", International Paralympic Committee
  3. ^ "Rome 1960 Paralympic Games: Table Tennis: Men's Doubles C", International Paralympic Committee