Originally, the idea was to pair the 1968 Paralympic Games with the Olympic Games in Mexico City. However, two years prior, the Mexican government backed out of the commitment to host the Paralympics because of technical difficulties.
As everyone wanted to keep the Paralympic Movement going, Sir Ludwig Guttmann accepted the invitation of the Israeli government and the ILAN Society (an Israeli organisation for individuals with physical impairment) to host the 1968 Games at Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv.