The Deaflympics, also known as Deaflympiad are a periodic series of multi-sport events sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level. Unlike the athletes in other IOC-sanctioned events, athletes cannot be guided by sounds. The games have been organized by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds since the first event in 1924.
The 2009 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 21st Summer Deaflympics was an international multi-sport event from 5 to 15 September 2009 in Taipei, Taiwan. It was the third Summer Deaflympics to be held in the Asia-Pacific region. Judo, karate, and taekwondo have been recognized as new summer disciplines in the Deaflympics sports competition program.
The 2001 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 19th Summer Deaflympics, is an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 16 July to 1 August 2001, in Rome, Italy.
The 2005 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 20th Summer Deaflympics, is an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 5 January to 16 January 2005 in Melbourne, Australia.
The 2013 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 22nd Summer Deaflympics, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Sofia, Bulgaria from July 26 to August 4, 2013. The marathon had been held before in Füssen, Germany on 21 July.
Sofia was hosting the biggest sports event for deaf athletes for a second time. In the past the Bulgarian capital hosted the 1993 Summer Deaflympics, thus becoming only the second city, together with Copenhagen, which has hosted two Summer Deaflympics.
The First International Silent Games, or First International Games for the Deaf, now referred to retroactively as the 1924 Summer Deaflympics, were the inaugural edition of the Deaflympics. The Games were held in Paris, France, from 10 to 17 August 1924, as an equivalent to the Olympic Games for deaf athletes. They were organised on the initiative of deaf Frenchman Eugène Rubens-Alcais, who, just after the Games, co-founded the Comité International des Sports des Sourds with other "deaf sporting leaders". The 1924 Games were "the first games ever" for athletes with a disability, preceding the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games in 1948, which became the Paralympic Games in 1960 but which did not include events for deaf athletes.
The 1985 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 15th Summer Deaflympics, is an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from July 10 to July 20, 1985, in Los Angeles, California United States.
Ruth Mae Taubert Seeger was an American athlete and coach. She was the first woman to be chosen for the United States track and field team for the 1957 World Games for the Deaf.
The 2017 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 23rd Summer Deaflympics, is an international multi-sport event that took place in Samsun, Turkey from July 18 to July 30, 2017. 3,148 athletes from 97 countries competed in 18 sports with 21 disciplines. 86 records were broken with 54 being world records and 32 being Deaflympics records.
The 1981 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 14th Summer Deaflympics, is an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from July 23 to August 1, 1981, in Cologne, Germany.
The 1977 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 13th Summer Deaflympics, is an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from July 17 to July 27, 1977, in Bucharest, Romania.
The United States has been participating at the Deaflympics from 1935 and it is also currently placed first in the all time Deaflympics medal list. US has won more than 1000 medals, the only nation to do so in Deaflympics.
The 1931 Summer Deaflympics officially known as the 3rd Summer Deaflympics was an international multi-sport event that was held from 19 August 1931 to 23 August 1931. It was hosted by Nürnberg, Germany.
The 1935 Summer Deaflympics officially known as 4th International Games for the Deaf was an international multi-sport event that was held from 17 August 1935 to 24 August 1935. It was hosted by London, England, with events held at White City Stadium.
The 1939 Summer Deaflympics officially known as 5th International Silent Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from 24 to 27 August 1939 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The 1949 Summer Deaflympics officially known as the 6th Deaf Olympiad is an international multi-sport event that was held from 12 August 1949 to 16 August 1949. This event was hosted in Copenhagen, Denmark..This Deaflympics was held after 10 years since the last edition of the Deaflympics(1939) due to World War II.
The 1957 Summer Deaflympics officially known as 8th Summer Deaflympics is an international multi-sport event that was held from 25 to 30 August 1957. This event was hosted by Milan, Italy.
Emily Hangstefer is an American deaf tennis player. She has competed at the 2013 Summer Deaflympics which was held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The 2021 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 24th Summer Deaflympics or XXIV Summer Deaflympics, and commonly known as Caxias Do Sul 2021, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 15 May 2022 in Brazil. The main host city was Caxias do Sul, Brazil, originally scheduled for December 2021 but postponed until May 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to Caxias, there were events scheduled for the neighboring cities of Farroupilha and Flores da Cunha. In April 2022, CISS has announced that due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from competing in Caxias do Sul, and in the same press release it was also announced that the bowling tournament was scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during October 2022.
The 1969 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the 11th Summer Deaflympics, is an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from August 9 to 16, 1969 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
