Deaflympics

Deaflympics Games
Comité International des Sports des Sourds
	Deaflympics Logo
Motto	PER LUDOS AEQUALITAS (Equality through sport)
First event	1924;100 years ago in Paris, France – 1924 Summer Deaflympics
Occur every	4 years
Last event	2024 in Erzurum, Turkey – 2024 Winter Deaflympics (Winter)
Next event	2025 Summer Deaflympics, Tokyo, Japan
Purpose	Provision of opportunities for deaf persons to participate in elite sports
Website	www.deaflympics.com ; www.ciss.org

Last updated December 13, 2024

The Deaflympics, also known as Deaflympiad (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) 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 (the Olympics, the Paralympics, and the Special Olympics), athletes cannot be guided by sounds (such as starting pistols, bullhorn commands or referee whistles).^[2] The games have been organized by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS, "The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf") since the first event in 1924.

History

The Deaflympics are held every four years, and are the longest running multi-sport event in history after the Olympics.^[3] The first games, held in Paris in 1924, were the first ever international sporting event for athletes with a disability.^[4] The event has been held every four years since, apart from a break for World War II, and an additional event, the Deaflympic Winter Games, was added in 1949.^[5] The games began as a small gathering of 148 athletes from nine European nations competing in the International Silent Games in Paris, France, in 1924; now, they have grown into a global movement.^[2]

Officially, the games were originally called the "International Games for the Deaf" from 1924 to 1965, but were sometimes also referred to as the "International Silent Games". From 1966 to 1999 they were called the "World Games for the Deaf", and occasionally referred to as the "World Silent Games". From 2001, the games have been known by their current name Deaflympics (often mistakenly called the Deaf Olympics).^[5]

To qualify for the games, athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 dB in their "better ear". Hearing aids, cochlear implants, and the like are not allowed to be used in competition, to place all athletes on the same level.^[5] Other examples of ways the games vary from hearing competitions are the manner in which they are officiated. To address the issue of Deaflympians not being able to be guided by sounds, certain sports use alternative methods of commencing the game. For example, the football referees wave a flag instead of blowing a whistle; on the track, races are started by using a light, instead of a starter pistol. It is also customary for spectators not to cheer or clap, but rather to wave with both hands, the Deaf form of applause.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from that year's Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.^[6]

Host nations and cities

To date, the Summer Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 24 cities in 20 countries, but by cities outside Europe on only six occasions (Washington, D.C. 1965, Los Angeles 1985, Christchurch 1989, Melbourne 2005, Taipei 2009 and Caxias do Sul in 2022). The last summer games were held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2022. The Winter Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 17 cities in 12 countries. The last winter games were held in Erzurum, Turkey in 2024. The next summer games are scheduled to be in Tokyo, Japan between 15 and 26 November 2025.

The 2011 Winter Games scheduled to be held in Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia were cancelled due to the lack of readiness by the organizing committee to host the games.^[7]^[8] The International Committee of Deaf Sports filed a criminal complaint against the Slovak Deaflympics Organizing Committee and its president, Mr. Jaromír Ruda.^[9] The criminal complaint demands reimbursement of the funds that were transferred to the Slovak Deaflympics Organizing Committee from national deaf sports federations, to cover hotel accommodations and other Deaflympics-related expenses.^[9] According to the Slovak newspaper, SME, "Jaromír Ruda, head of the Slovak Organising Committee, [is] a champion of promises and someone who is accused of a 1.6 million Euro Deaflympics-related fraud".^[10] In a letter to the United States Deaflympians, International Committee of Sports for the Deaf ICSD President Craig Crowley expressed "his deep apologies for the cancellation of the 17th Winter Deaflympics".^[11] Currently, the Slovak Deaflympic Committee and the Slovakia Association of Deaf Sportsmen Unions have been suspended.^[12] In 2013 the Special Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica sentenced Ruda to a prison term of 14+1⁄2 years for defrauding €1.6 million that should have been used for Winter Deaflympics.^[13]

The host cities and National Deaf Sports Associations for all past and scheduled games are as follows:^[4]^[14]

List of Summer Deaflympics hosts

Games	Year	Host	Opened by	Dates	Nations	Competitors			Sports	Events	Top Nation
Games	Year	Host	Opened by	Dates	Nations	Total	Men	Women	Sports	Events	Top Nation
1	1924	Paris, France	Gaston Doumergue	10–17 August	9	148	147	1	6	31	France
2	1928	Amsterdam, Netherlands	Wilhelmina of the Netherlands	18–26 August	10	212	198	14	5	38	Great Britain
3	1931	Nuremberg, Weimar Republic	Paul von Hindenburg	19–23 August	14	316	288	28	6	43	Germany
4	1935	London, Great Britain	George V	17–24 August	12	221	178	43	5	41	Great Britain
5	1939	Stockholm, Sweden	Gustaf V	24–27 August	13	250	208	42	6	43	Great Britain
6	1949	Copenhagen, Denmark	Frederik IX of Denmark	12–16 August	14	391	342	49	7	51	Great Britain
7	1953	Brussels, Belgium	Baudouin of Belgium	15–19 August	16	473	432	41	7	57	Germany
8	1957	Milan, Italy	Giovanni Gronchi	25–30 August	25	635	565	70	9	69	Soviet Union
9	1961	Helsinki, Finland	Urho Kekkonen	6–10 August	24	613	503	110	10	94	Soviet Union
10	1965	Washington, D.C., United States	Lyndon B. Johnson	27 June – 3 July	27	687	575	112	9	85	Soviet Union
11	1969	Belgrade, Yugoslavia	Josip Broz Tito	9–16 August	33	1189	964	225	12	105	Soviet Union
12	1973	Malmö, Sweden	Gustaf VI Adolf	21–28 August	31	1116	893	223	11	97	United States
13	1977	Bucharest, Romania	Nicolae Ceauşescu	17–27 July	32	1150	913	237	11	106	United States
14	1981	Cologne, West Germany	Helmut Schmidt	23 July – 1 August	32	1198	893	305	11	110	United States
15	1985	Los Angeles, United States	Ronald Reagan	10–20 August	29	995	745	250	11	96	United States
16	1989	Christchurch, New Zealand	David Lange	7–17 January	30	955	726	229	12	120	United States
17	1993	Sofia, Bulgaria	Zhelyu Zhelev	24 July – 2 August	52	1679	1295	384	12	126	United States
18	1997	Copenhagen, Denmark	John M. Lovett	13–26 July	65	2028	1496	534	14	140	United States
19	2001	Rome, Italy	Carlo Azeglio Ciampi	22 July – 1 August	67	2208	1562	646	14	143	United States
20	2005	Melbourne, Australia	Marigold Southey	5–16 January	63	2038	1402	636	14	147	Ukraine
21	2009	Taipei, Chinese Taipei ¹	Ma Ying-jeou	5–15 September	80	2670	1714	779	17	177	Russia
22	2013	Sofia, Bulgaria ²	Rosen Plevneliev	26 July – 4 August²	83	2711	1792	919	16	203²	Russia
23	2017	Samsun, Turkey	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan	18–30 July	97	2856	1897	959	18	219	Russia
24	2022	Caxias do Sul, Brazil	First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro	1–15 May 2022³	71	1489	1022	467	18³	219³	Ukraine
25	2025	Tokyo, Japan		15–26 November					18	216

¹ The Republic of China (Taiwan) is recognised as Chinese Taipei by CISS and the majority of international organisations it participates in due to political considerations and Cross-Strait relations with the People's Republic of China.

² The marathon had been held 4 days before the opening ceremonies in Füssen, Germany on 21 July 2013.^[15]

³ Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Summer Deaflympics that were to be held in December 2021 were postponed until May 2022, and due to the small number of venues near Caxias do Sul and Brazil and a small number of participants, the bowling events were transferred to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and were held between 20 and 30 October 2022.^[16]

List of Winter Deaflympics hosts

Games	Year	Host	Opened by	Dates	Nations	Competitors			Sports	Events	Top Nation
Games	Year	Host	Opened by	Dates	Nations	Total	Men	Women	Sports	Events	Top Nation
1	1949	Seefeld, Austria		26–30 February	5	33	33	0	2	5	Switzerland
2	1953	Oslo, Norway		20–24 February	6	44	42	2	4	9	Norway
3	1955	Oberammergau, West Germany		10–13 February	8	59	54	5	4	11	Norway
4	1959	Montana-Vermala, Switzerland		27–31 January	10	42			3	14	Norway
5	1963	Åre, Sweden		12–16 March	9	60			2	13	Austria
6	1967	Berchtesgaden, West Germany		20–25 February	12	89			2	11	Norway
7	1971	Adelboden, Switzerland		25–30 February	13	145			2	11	Switzerland
8	1975	Lake Placid, United States		2–8 February	13	136			4	12	Canada
9	1979	Méribel, France		21–27 January	14	180			3	12	Soviet Union
10	1983	Madonna di Campiglio, Italy		13–23 January	15	147			3	17	Soviet Union
11	1987	Oslo, Norway		7–14 February	15	169			3	18	Norway
12	1991	Banff, Canada		2–9 March	16	175			5	18	Soviet Union
13	1995	Ylläs, Finland		14–19 March	18	260			4	15	Russia
14	1999	Davos, Switzerland		6–14 March	18	273			5	17	Russia
15	2003	Sundsvall, Sweden		26 February – 9 March	21	259			4	23	Russia
16	2007	Salt Lake City, United States		1–10 February	23	302			5	26	Russia
17	2011	Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia		16–28 February	Cancelled
18	2015	Khanty-Mansiysk and Magnitogorsk, Russia		28 March – 5 April	27	344			5	31	Russia
19	2019	Sondrio Province, Italy		12–21 December	34	493			7	36	Russia
20	2024	Erzurum, Turkey		2–12 March 2024	36	534			6	34	Ukraine
21	2027	Innsbruck, Austria		15-24 January 2027	0	0			0	0

All-time medal table

Summer Deaflympics

An all-time Summer Deaflympics from 1924 Summer Deaflympics to 2021 Summer Deaflympics, is tabulated below. The table is simply the consequence of the sum of the medal tables of the various editions of the Summer Deaflympics.^[17]


Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	375	321	363	1,059
2	Russia	237	206	223	666
3	Soviet Union	173	124	108	405
4	Ukraine	166	175	170	511
5	West Germany	121	121	120	362
6	Iran	105	81	92	278
7	Italy	92	95	119	306
8	South Korea	79	73	62	214
9	Japan	79	73	60	212
10	France	74	93	97	264
11	Great Britain	68	85	95	248
12	Sweden	64	80	61	205
13	Germany	52	94	93	239
14	Hungary	51	48	42	141
15	Finland	49	51	47	147
16	Denmark	47	40	54	141
17	China	46	34	44	124
18	Australia	45	28	31	104
19	Poland	44	76	84	204
20	Turkey	42	51	80	173
21	Belarus	37	48	24	109
22	South Africa	35	17	10	62
23	Netherlands	33	35	29	97
24	Norway	32	28	25	85
25	Chinese Taipei	31	48	50	129
26	Canada	31	41	37	109
27	India	26	9	21	56
28	Yugoslavia	24	13	21	58
29	Kenya	21	20	25	66
30	Czech Republic	20	12	15	47
31	Ireland	16	15	11	42
32	Bulgaria	15	43	51	109
33	Belgium	15	29	41	85
34	Lithuania	15	22	30	67
35	Venezuela	14	13	27	54
36	Cuba	14	6	12	32
37	Estonia	12	8	15	35
38	Switzerland	9	16	16	41
39	Greece	7	11	13	31
40	Kazakhstan	7	8	26	41
41	East Germany	7	8	8	23
42	Croatia	7	6	3	16
43	Portugal	7	4	6	17
44	Romania	6	9	14	29
45	Latvia	5	7	4	16
46	New Zealand	5	6	7	18
47	Slovakia	5	5	5	15
48	Malaysia	3	11	4	18
49	Czechoslovakia	3	7	9	19
50	Mexico	3	3	3	9
51	Puerto Rico	3	0	1	4
52	Mongolia	2	6	14	22
53	Austria	2	6	8	16
54	Slovenia	2	2	3	7
55	Singapore	2	1	1	4
56	Spain	1	5	7	13
57	Argentina	1	4	5	10
58	Colombia	1	2	2	5
59	Brazil	1	1	13	15
60	Algeria	1	1	3	5
61	Dominican Republic	1	1	0	2
61	Ecuador	1	1	0	2
63	Macau	1	0	1	2
	Thailand	1	0	1	2
	United Arab Emirates	1	0	1	2
66	Chile	1	0	0	1
67	Kyrgyzstan	0	2	9	11
68	Georgia	0	2	1	3
68	Nigeria	0	2	1	3
70	Armenia	0	1	10	11
71	Indonesia	0	1	3	4
71	Serbia	0	1	3	4
73	Moldova	0	1	1	2
74	Iceland	0	1	0	1
75	Uzbekistan	0	0	4	4
76	Israel	0	0	3	3
76	Saudi Arabia	0	0	3	3
78	Cyprus	0	0	1	1
	Egypt	0	0	1	1
	Hong Kong	0	0	1	1
	Turkmenistan	0	0	1	1
Totals (81 entries)		2,496	2,498	2,709	7,703

Winter Deaflympics

An all-time Winter Deaflympics from 1949 Winter Deaflympics to 2023 Winter Deaflympics, is tabulated below. The table is simply the consequence of the sum of the medal tables of the various editions of the Winter Deaflympics.


Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Russia	53	40	42	135
2	Norway	48	36	40	124
3	Soviet Union	24	26	21	71
4	Austria	23	26	27	76
5	Italy	22	14	16	52
6	United States	21	29	34	84
7	Finland	21	21	20	62
8	Switzerland	20	29	24	73
9	Czech Republic	18	9	6	33
10	Canada	18	8	8	34
11	Ukraine	14	19	13	46
12	Germany	13	19	30	62
13	France	11	17	15	43
14	China	10	8	11	29
15	Japan	8	6	6	20
16	Australia	6	4	1	11
17	Poland	5	5	1	11
18	Sweden	2	15	10	27
19	Slovakia	2	5	0	7
20	Slovenia	2	2	3	7
21	Great Britain	2	2	2	6
22	Croatia	1	1	4	6
23	Kazakhstan	1	0	1	2
24	Iran	1	0	0	1
	Israel	1	0	0	1
	Latvia	1	0	0	1
	Spain	1	0	0	1
28	South Korea	0	2	3	5
29	Hungary	0	1	2	3
30	Brazil	0	1	1	2
30	Yugoslavia	0	1	1	2
32	Lithuania	0	1	0	1
33	Serbia	0	0	1	1
33	Turkey	0	0	1	1
Totals (34 entries)		349	347	344	1,040

Combined

As of August 2024 (after the Winter Games in Erzurum)
Rank	Nation	Summer				Winter				Combined
Rank	Nation				Total				Total				Total
1	United States	375	321	363	1059	21	29	34	84	396	350	397	1143
2	Russia	237	206	223	666	53	40	42	135	290	246	265	801
3	Soviet Union	173	124	108	405	24	26	21	71	197	150	129	476
4	Ukraine	166	175	170	511	14	19	13	46	180	194	183	557
5	West Germany	121	121	120	362	0	0	0	0	121	121	120	362
6	Italy	92	95	119	306	22	14	16	52	114	109	135	358
7	Iran	105	81	92	278	1	0	0	1	106	81	92	279
8	Japan	79	73	60	212	8	6	6	20	87	79	66	232
9	France	74	93	97	264	11	17	15	43	85	110	112	307
10	Norway	32	28	25	85	48	36	40	124	80	64	65	209
11	South Korea	79	73	62	214	0	2	3	5	79	75	65	219
12	Great Britain	68	85	95	248	2	2	2	6	70	87	97	254
13	Finland	49	51	47	147	21	21	20	62	70	72	67	209
14	Sweden	64	80	61	205	2	15	10	27	66	95	71	232
15	Germany	52	94	93	239	13	19	30	62	65	113	123	301
16	China	46	34	44	124	10	8	11	29	56	42	55	153
17	Hungary	51	48	42	141	0	1	2	3	51	49	44	144
18	Australia	45	28	31	104	6	4	1	11	51	32	32	115
19	Poland	44	76	84	204	5	5	1	11	49	81	85	215
20	Canada	31	41	37	109	18	8	8	34	49	49	45	143
21	Denmark	47	40	54	141	0	0	0	0	47	40	54	141
22	Turkey	42	51	80	173	0	0	1	1	42	51	81	174
23	Czech Republic	20	12	15	47	18	9	6	33	38	21	21	80
24	Belarus	37	48	24	109	0	0	0	0	37	48	24	109
25	South Africa	35	17	10	62	0	0	0	0	35	17	10	62
26	Netherlands	33	35	29	97	0	0	0	0	33	35	29	97
27	Chinese Taipei	31	48	50	129	0	0	0	0	31	48	50	129
28	Switzerland	9	16	16	41	20	29	24	73	29	45	40	114
29	India	26	9	21	56	0	0	0	0	26	9	21	56
30	Austria	2	6	8	16	23	26	27	76	25	32	35	92
31	Yugoslavia	24	13	21	58	0	1	1	2	24	14	22	60
32	Kenya	21	20	25	66	0	0	0	0	21	20	25	66
33	Ireland	16	15	11	42	0	0	0	0	16	15	11	42
34	Bulgaria	15	43	51	109	0	0	0	0	15	43	51	109
35	Belgium	15	29	41	85	0	0	0	0	15	29	41	85
36	Lithuania	15	22	30	67	0	1	0	1	15	23	30	68
37	Venezuela	14	13	27	54	0	0	0	0	14	13	27	54
38	Cuba	14	6	12	32	0	0	0	0	14	6	12	32
39	Estonia	12	8	15	35	0	0	0	0	12	8	15	35
40	Kazakhstan	7	8	26	41	1	0	1	2	8	8	27	43
41	Croatia	7	6	3	16	1	1	4	6	8	7	7	22
42	Greece	7	11	13	31	0	0	0	0	7	11	13	31
43	Slovakia	5	5	5	15	2	5	0	7	7	10	5	22
44	East Germany	7	8	8	23	0	0	0	0	7	8	8	23
45	Portugal	7	4	6	17	0	0	0	0	7	4	6	17
46	Romania	6	9	14	29	0	0	0	0	6	9	14	29
47	Latvia	5	7	4	16	1	0	0	1	6	7	4	17
48	New Zealand	5	6	7	18	0	0	0	0	5	6	7	18
49	Slovenia	2	2	3	7	2	2	3	7	4	4	6	14
50	Malaysia	3	11	4	18	0	0	0	0	3	11	4	18
51	Czechoslovakia	3	7	9	19	0	0	0	0	3	7	9	19
52	Mexico	3	3	3	9	0	0	0	0	3	3	3	9
53	Puerto Rico	3	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	4
54	Mongolia	2	6	14	22	0	0	0	0	2	6	14	22
55	Spain	1	5	7	13	1	0	0	1	2	5	7	14
56	Singapore	2	1	1	4	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	4
57	Argentina	1	4	5	10	0	0	0	0	1	4	5	10
58	Brazil	1	1	13	15	0	1	1	2	1	2	14	17
59	Colombia	1	2	2	5	0	0	0	0	1	2	2	5
60	Algeria	1	1	3	5	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	5
61	Dominican Republic	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2
61	Ecuador	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2
63	Israel	0	0	3	3	1	0	0	1	1	0	3	4
64	Macau	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
	Thailand	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
	United Arab Emirates	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
67	Chile	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
68	Kyrgyzstan	0	2	9	11	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	11
69	Georgia	0	2	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	3
69	Nigeria	0	2	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	3
71	Armenia	0	1	10	11	0	0	0	0	0	1	10	11
72	Serbia	0	1	3	4	0	0	1	1	0	1	4	5
73	Indonesia	0	1	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4
74	Moldova	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
75	Iceland	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
76	Uzbekistan	0	0	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	4
77	Saudi Arabia	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	3
78	Cyprus	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
	Egypt	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
	Hong Kong	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
	Turkmenistan	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total		2496	2498	2709	7703	349	347	344	1040	2845	2845	3053	8743

Sports

Summer Deaflympics

The following sports have been contested in a Summer Deaflympic Games programme:

Sport (Discipline)	Body	24	28	31	35	39	49	53	57	61	65	69	73	77	81	85	89	93	97	01	05	09	13	17	21

Current summer sports

Aquatics – Swimming		7	10	11	10	11	14	18	14	14	15	17	17	26	26	34	31	34	32	38	38	38	38	40	45

Athletics		17	20	23	23	23	24	26	32	32	33	34	34	35	30	32	36	40	40	43	42	43	44	43	45
Badminton																5	5	6	6	6	6	6	5	6	6
Basketball	DIBF						1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Bowling																			10	10	10	10	8	12	7

Cycling – Mountain																							2	2	2
Cycling – Road		3	3	1	1	1	1	1	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	7	8	8

Football		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2

Golf																								2	2
Handball												2	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	2
Judo																						10	17	17	16
Karate																						5	15	18	16
Orienteering																				6	6	5	8	9	10
Shooting		1		1		2	3	3	4	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	8	7	7	6	6	10	11	12	13
Table Tennis										5	5	7	7	5	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
Taekwondo																						8	13	13	11
Tennis		2	2	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5

Volleyball – Beach																					2	2	2	2	2
Volleyball – Indoor												2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

Wrestling – Freestyle										8	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	8	8	7	7	7	8	8
Wrestling – Greco-Roman										8	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	8	8	7	7	7	8	8

Discontinued summer sports

Aquatics – Diving		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1		1	1
Aquatics – Water Polo							1		1	1				1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1

Gymnastics – Artistic			2						2	13	12	12

Demonstration summer sports

Gymnastics – Artistic		•
Gymnastics – Rhythmic		•

Total		31	38	43	45	47	51	57	69	94	85	105	97	106	110	96	120	126	140	143	147	177	203	219	216

Winter Deaflympics

The following sports have been contested in a Winter Deaflympic Games programme:

Sport (Discipline)	49	53	55	59	63	67	71	75	79	83	87	91	95	99	03	07	15	19	23

Current winter sports

Chess																		4	5
Curling																2	2	2	3
Futsal																			2
Ice hockey												1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Skiing – Alpine	3	4	6	10	8	6	6	6	6	8	8	6	8	8	8	10	10	10	10
Skiing – Snowboarding															6	5	10	10	6
Skiing – Nordic – Cross-country	2	3	3	3	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	8	8	9	8	9	8

Discontinued winter sports

Skiing – Nordic – Nordic combined		1	1
Skiing – Nordic – Ski jumping		1	1	1

Speed skating										3	4	5

Demonstration winter sports

Curling																•
Ice hockey								•

Skiing – Snowboarding														•

Speed skating								•

Total	5	9	11	14	13	11	11	12	12	17	18	18	15	17	23	27	31	36	34

Related Research Articles

Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practiced by people with a disability as a parasport. The athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, with two major exceptions in wheelchair racing and the club throw, which are specific to the division. Certain able-bodied events are rarely contested as para-athletic events outside deaf sport; pole vault, triple jump, hammer and the three hurdling events. The sport is known by various names, including disability athletics, disabled track and field and Paralympic athletics. Top-level competitors may be called elite athletes with disability.

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 International Committee of Sports for the Deaf is the apex body organizing international sports events for the deaf, particularly the Deaflympics. It is also called the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS). The organization was founded in Paris by Eugène Rubens-Alcais, who organized the first "International Silent Games" in 1924. Alcais was himself deaf and was the president of the French Deaf Sports Federation.

A number of deaf people have competed in the modern Olympic Games, with the earliest known being Oskar Wetzell, a Finnish diver who competed in the 1908 Olympics in London.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugène Rubens-Alcais</span> Founder of Deaflympics

Eugène Rubens-Alcais was a French deaf activist in the field of sports. He is known for introducing the Deaflympics in 1924 for deaf sportspeople. He was determined to establish international competitions for the deaf, as they were considered as intellectually disabled people during his lifetime. Alcais believed that deaf athletes should have their own independent international competitions and promoted the idea in his own deaf sports magazine called The Silent Sportsman. In 1924, he was instrumental in hosting the inaugural Summer Deaflympics in his home country, France. Alcais is also the founder of Comité International des Sports des Sourds, the world governing body of deaf sports. He is often called the "father of Deaflympics" or "father of Olympics for the deaf".

Antoine Dresse (1902-1998) was a Belgian deaf sport activist and the co-founder of the Comite International des Sports des Sourds, which is the world governing body of deaf sports. Antoine Dresse has also represented Belgium at the Deaflympics from 1924 to 1939. Dresse competed for Belgium in tennis and in the track events. Antoine served as the first founding secretary-general of the CISS from 1924 to 1967.

Valery Nikititch Rukhledev is a Russian sports activist. He is also a 6 time gold medalist in wrestling for the Soviet Union at the Deaflympics from 1969 to 1977. He served as the president of the Comite International des Sports des Sourds from 2013 to 2018. He retired from the position as President of ICSD on 31 July 2018 after being charged on embezzlement charges in a corruption scandal, in which he was accused of embezzling $803,800 from the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. He was later replaced by Australian Rebecca Adam as ICSD President on 1 August 2018 which created further controversy in the Deaf sports world.

The 2011 Winter Deaflympics, officially known as the 17th Winter Deaflympics was originally scheduled to be held from 18 February 2011 to 26 February 2011 in Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia. This was the first time that Slovakia was selected to host a Deaflympic event. But the multi-sporting event was cancelled due to the lack of preparations, lack of readiness and reluctance by the Deaflympic Committee of Slovakia prior to the event. The event was also cancelled mainly due to the alleged fraud by the former President of the Deaflympic Committee of Slovakia, Jaromir Ruda. The Winter Games was cancelled and was postponed to 2015, which was the 18th Winter Deaflympics.

Shi Ce is a Chinese deaf female table tennis player. She has represented China at the Deaflympics four times from 2005 to 2017. Shi Ce has been regarded as one of the finest athletes to have represented China at the Deaflympics, having won 14 medals at the event since making her debut in the 2005 Summer Deaflympics.

Dawn Jani Birley is a Canadian deaf actress, television anchor, educator and a popular taekwondo practitioner. She was engaged in her sport, taekwondo in the early parts of her life before becoming a professional actor in the mid-2000s. She graduated at Gallaudet University.

The 2019 Winter Deaflympics, officially known as the 19th Winter Deaflympics or XIX Winter Deaflympics, was the 19th edition of the Winter Deaflympics, and took place between the 12–21 December in Sondrio Province in Northern Italy. The opening ceremony was held in Sondrio on 12 December and curling competition began a day prior to the start of the Winter Deaflympics. Sporting events apart from curling commenced on 13 December.

Rebecca Adam is an Australian lawyer and business executive. She was President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) between 2018 and 2019, who also served as a former President of Deaf Sports Australia. On 1 August 2018, she was appointed as the 10th ICSD president replacing Valery Rukhledev who was found guilty of embezzlement from the All-Russian Society of the Deaf and was sacked from May 2018. The appointment of Rebecca Adam created further controversy among the deaf sports authorities which cautioned to sue against ICSD in International Olympic Committee. She became only the second woman after Donalda Ammons to be elected as President of International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.

Matthew James Klotz is an American male deaf swimmer and reality television contestant. He has represented the United States at the Deaflympics and in other international events including the Deaf World Championships. He is a world record holder in swimming for deaf and is considered one of the finest deaf swimmers to represent USA after the retirements of Marcus Titus and Reed Gershwind. He made his Deaflympic debut at the 2013 Summer Deaflympics.

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.

Since the 1920s, Deaf and hard of hearing people have participated in professional sports. Deaf people often face challenges when participating in sports, such as stigma and discrimination, along with difficulty working with hearing teammates. With the inclusion of Deaf people in sports, various accommodations have been made and has helped limit the prejudice against Deaf individuals.

Ryutaro Ibara is a Japanese deaf swimmer. He is regarded as one of the most decorated Deaflympic athletes from Japan with a medal tally of 19 at the Deaflympics.

Nasibeh Shahbazi also spelt as Noseybeh Shahbazi is an Iranian deaf taekwondo practitioner. She has represented Iran at the Deaflympics on two occasions in 2017 and 2022.

The 2023 Winter Deaflympics, officially known as the 20th Winter Deaflympics or XX Winter Deaflympics, was the 20th edition of the Winter Deaflympics, and took place between 2–12 March 2024 in Erzurum in Turkey.

References

↑ "Constitution". Archived 25 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine . International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
1 2 International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – News Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine . Deaflympics.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ What are the Deaflympics?. Disabled World. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
1 2 Future Directions of the Deaflympics Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine . Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
1 2 3 Historical overview of the Paralympics, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine . Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ "Russia excluded from Deaflympics after plea from Ukraine". www.insidethegames.biz. 12 March 2022.
↑ Winter Olympics: 2011 Winter Deaflympics Cancelled Archived 25 January 2013 at archive.today . Healthyhearing.com (17 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease Archived 15 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Deaflympics.com (13 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
1 2 ICSD Pursuing Legal Action Following Failure of 17th Winter Deaflympics Archived 24 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Deaf Sports Mag. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ Slovakia: Deaflympics 2011 Controversy · Global Voices. Globalvoices.org. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ 2011 US Deaflympics – Article | Letter from ICSD to USA athletes Archived 9 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Usdeaflympics.org (17 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease Archived 18 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Deaflympics.com (14 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ Deaflympics Committee Head Sentenced to Thirteen Years – English News. Webnoviny.sk. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – Games. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
↑ "Sofia 2013 22nd Deaflympics Marathon Details". CISS. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
↑ "Deaflympics 2021 in Bowling". CISS. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
↑ "Deaflympics". deaflympics.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.

External links

Official website
Comité International des Sports des Sourds – official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[foundedinparis-1] "Constitution". Archived 25 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine . International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. Retrieved 9 August 2016.

[deaflympics.com-2] 1 2 International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – News Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine . Deaflympics.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[3] What are the Deaflympics?. Disabled World. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[Future_Directions-4] 1 2 Future Directions of the Deaflympics Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine . Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[Historical_overview-5] 1 2 3 Historical overview of the Paralympics, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine . Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[auto-6] "Russia excluded from Deaflympics after plea from Ukraine". www.insidethegames.biz. 12 March 2022.

[7] Winter Olympics: 2011 Winter Deaflympics Cancelled Archived 25 January 2013 at archive.today . Healthyhearing.com (17 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[8] International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease Archived 15 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Deaflympics.com (13 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[deafsportsmag1-9] 1 2 ICSD Pursuing Legal Action Following Failure of 17th Winter Deaflympics Archived 24 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Deaf Sports Mag. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[10] Slovakia: Deaflympics 2011 Controversy · Global Voices. Globalvoices.org. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[11] 2011 US Deaflympics – Article | Letter from ICSD to USA athletes Archived 9 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Usdeaflympics.org (17 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[12] International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease Archived 18 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Deaflympics.com (14 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[13] Deaflympics Committee Head Sentenced to Thirteen Years – English News. Webnoviny.sk. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[14] International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – Games. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.

[15] "Sofia 2013 22nd Deaflympics Marathon Details". CISS. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2013.

[16] "Deaflympics 2021 in Bowling". CISS. Retrieved 17 April 2022.

[17] "Deaflympics". deaflympics.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.

[CdS2021-18] Bowling was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2021 games were postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[a]

v t e Deaflympics
CISS IOC
Summer Games	1924 Paris 1928 Amsterdam 1931 Nuremberg 1935 London 1939 Stockholm 1949 Copenhagen 1953 Brussels 1957 Milan 1961 Helsinki 1965 Washington DC 1969 Belgrade 1973 Malmö 1977 Bucharest 1981 Cologne 1985 Los Angeles 1989 Christchurch 1993 Sofia 1997 Copenhagen 2001 Rome 2005 Melbourne 2009 Taipei 2013 Sofia 2017 Samsun 2021 Caxias do Sul ^[a] 2025 Tokyo 2029 TBA
Winter Games	1949 Seefeld 1953 Oslo 1955 Oberammergau 1959 Montana-Vermala 1963 Are 1967 Berchtesgaden 1971 Adelboden 1975 Lake Placid 1979 Meribel 1983 Madonna di Campigilo 1987 Oslo 1991 Banff 1995 Yilas 1999 Davos 2003 Sundsvall 2007 Salt Lake City ~~2011 Vysoké Tatry~~ 2015 Khanty-Mansiysk 2019 Sondrio 2023 Erzurum 2027 TBA
↑ Bowling was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2021 games were postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

v t e Sports at the Deaflympics
Summer sports	Athletics Badminton Basketball Bowling Cycling Football Golf Handball Judo Karate Orienteering Shooting Swimming Table tennis Taekwondo Tennis Volleyball Wrestling
Winter sports	Alpine skiing Cross-country skiing Chess Curling Ice hockey Snowboarding
Past sports	Diving Gymnastics Nordic combined Ski jumping Speed skating Water polo

v t e Nations at the Deaflympics
Africa	Algeria Botswana Burkina Faso Côte d'Ivoire Egypt Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Kenya Mali Nigeria Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Swaziland Tanzania Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Americas	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Cuba Ecuador Guatemala Jamaica Mexico Peru United States Uruguay Venezuela
Asia-Pacific	Afghanistan Australia Winter Bahrain Bangladesh Cambodia China Chinese Taipei Fiji Hong Kong,China India Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea (Republic of) Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Macau, China Malaysia Mongolia Nepal New Zealand Oman Pakistan Palestine Philippines Saudi Arabia Singapore Tajikistan Thailand Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Yemen
Europe	Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Great Britain Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Malta Moldova,Republic of Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russian Federation Serbia Slovak Republic Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine
Historical	Czechoslovakia East Germany Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union West Germany Yugoslavia

Deaflympics

Contents

History

Host nations and cities

List of Summer Deaflympics hosts

List of Winter Deaflympics hosts

All-time medal table

Summer Deaflympics

Winter Deaflympics

Combined

Sports

Summer Deaflympics

Winter Deaflympics

See also

Related Research Articles

References

External links