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.
Caxias do Sul is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, situated in the state's mountainous Serra Gaúcha region. It was established by Italian immigrants on June 20, 1890. Today it is the second largest city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In 2020, the population of Caxias do Sul was estimated at 517,451 people, many of whom are of Italian and German descent. The demonym of the citizens of Caxias do Sul is Caxiense.
Sports in Brazil are those that are widely practiced and popular in the country, as well as others which originated there or have some cultural significance. Brazilians are heavily involved in sports. Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. Other than football, sports like volleyball, mixed martial arts, basketball, tennis, and motor sports, especially Formula One, enjoy high levels of popularity. Great players like Neymar have devoted their life to sports and became a celebrity.
Association football is the most popular sport in almost all South American countries. There are a wide range of sports played in the continent of South America. Popular sports include rugby union, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, volleyball, hockey, beach volleyball, motorsports and cricket. South America held its first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. Two years prior to this, major cities in Brazil hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Brazil competed at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico from October 14 to 30, 2011. Bernard Rajzman will be the Chef de mission. Brazil's team consisted of 521 athletes in 32 sports.
The Brazil women's national rugby sevens team has appeared in the Olympics, the Rugby World Cup, the Women's Sevens Series, and other competitions. Brazil has won every regional championship in South America. Their team nickname "Yaras" was coined in 2013, and comes from the local Tupí-Guaraní myth of the Iara. It was meant to signify the courage and collective strength of women’s rugby in Brazil and also to connect them with their country’s roots.
Brazil competed in the 2015 Pan American Games in Hamilton, Canada from July 10 to 26, 2015. The Brazilian Olympic Committee selected a team of 590 athletes, 314 men and 276 women. This is the 17th appearance of the country in the Pan American Games. The goal of the Brazilian Olympic Committee is to finish among top 3 countries on total medals, as part of preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, and to surpass the number of medals of Guadalajara (141). Women's field hockey, baseball, racquetball and speed skating competitions will be the only sports without Brazilian representation at these games.
Belarus participated at the Deaflympics from 1993 until it was banned in 2022, and won 87 medals. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) banned athletes from Belarus from that year's Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
Russia participated at the Deaflympics after making its debut in 1993, until it was banned in 2022. Russia is just behind United States for winning the most medals in Deaflympics history. In the 2017 Summer Deaflympics held in Turkey, Russia was the medal topper with a record haul of 199 medals. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) banned athletes from Russia from that year's Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
Turkey as the host nation of the 2017 Summer Deaflympics competed in the event fielding 287 athletes. Turkey finished on 4th in the Medal list after winning 46 medals including 17 gold medals; this was also the occasion where Turkey won the highest number of medals in a single Deaflympics event.
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.
India is currently competing in the 2021 Summer Deaflympics which is held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. India sent a delegation consisting of 65 participants in 11 sporting disciplines such as shooting, badminton, athletics, golf, judo, karate, table tennis, tennis, taekwondo, wrestling for the event, which is also the largest ever delegation sent by India in a single Summer Deaflympic event.
Judo at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics was held in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil from 3 to 5 May 2022.
Oleksii Kolomiiets is a Ukrainian deaf swimmer. He made his Deaflympic debut during the 2017 Summer Deaflympics.
Handball at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics will held in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil from 2 to 14 May 2022.
Volleyball at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics was held in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil from 3 to 13 May 2022.
Basketball at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics was held in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil from 30 April to 13 May 2022.
Golf at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics in Caxias Do Sul was held at the Ginásio Poliesportivo da UCS and SESI-SENAT Club in Caxias Do Sul from 7 to 11 May 2022.
Chrysanthi Chaina is a Greek professional basketball player. She has represented Greece at the Deaflympics on four occasions in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022.
Justina Taylor Miles is an American Sign Language (ASL) performer. She became the first Deaf woman to perform American Sign Language at the Super Bowl pre-game and halftime shows.
