Deaflympics

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Deaflympics Games
Comité International des Sports des Sourds
Deaflympics Logo
MottoPER LUDOS AEQUALITAS (Equality through sport)
First event1924; 100 years ago (1924) in Paris, France – 1924 Summer Deaflympics[1]
Occur every4 years
Last event2024 in Erzurum, Turkey – 2024 Winter Deaflympics (Winter)
Next event2025 Summer Deaflympics, Tokyo, Japan
PurposeProvision of opportunities for deaf persons to participate in elite sports
Websitewww.deaflympics.com
www.ciss.org
Disability
Theory and models
Education
Therapy
Societal implications
Personal assistance
Socioeconomic assistance
  • Groups
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Parasports
Culture

The Deaflympics, also known as Deaflympiad (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are a periodic series of

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

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

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 2019. The next summer games are scheduled to be in Tokyo, Japan between 15 to 26 November, 2025.

The 2011 Winter Games scheduled to be held in

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

1977
1981
1985
1989
1993,2013
2001
2005
2009
2017
2022
2025
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Host cities of the Summer Deaflympics
Games Year Host Opened by Dates Nations Competitors Sports Events Top Nation
Total Men Women
1 1924 France Paris, France Gaston Doumergue 10–17 August 9 148 147 1 6 31  France
2 1928 Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands Wilhelmina of the Netherlands 18–26 August 10 212 198 14 5 38  Great Britain
3 1931 Germany Nuremberg, Weimar Republic Paul von Hindenburg 19–23 August 14 316 288 28 6 43  Germany
4 1935 United Kingdom London, Great Britain George V 17–24 August 12 221 178 43 5 41  Great Britain
5 1939 Sweden Stockholm, Sweden Gustaf V 24–27 August 13 250 208 42 6 43  Great Britain
6 1949 Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark Frederik IX of Denmark 12–16 August 14 391 342 49 7 51  Great Britain
7 1953 Belgium Brussels, Belgium Baudouin of Belgium 15–19 August 16 473 432 41 7 57  Germany
8 1957 Italy Milan, Italy Giovanni Gronchi 25–30 August 25 635 565 70 9 69  Soviet Union
9 1961 Finland Helsinki, Finland Urho Kekkonen 6–10 August 24 613 503 110 10 94  Soviet Union
10 1965 United States Washington, D.C., United States Lyndon B. Johnson 27 June – 3 July 27 687 575 112 9 85  Soviet Union
11 1969 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Belgrade, Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito 9–16 August 33 1189 964 225 12 105  Soviet Union
12 1973 Sweden Malmö, Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf 21–28 August 31 1116 893 223 11 97  United States
13 1977 Romania Bucharest, Romania
Nicolae Ceauşescu
 17–27 July 32 1150 913 237 11 106  United States
14 1981 West Germany Cologne, West Germany Helmut Schmidt 23 July – 1 August 32 1198 893 305 11 110  United States
15 1985 United States Los Angeles, United States Ronald Reagan 10–20 August 29 995 745 250 11 96  United States
16 1989 New Zealand Christchurch, New Zealand David Lange 7–17 January 30 955 726 229 12 120  United States
17 1993 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria Zhelyu Zhelev 24 July – 2 August 52 1679 1295 384 12 126  United States
18 1997 Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark John M. Lovett 13–26 July 65 2028 1496 534 14 140  United States
19 2001 Italy Rome, Italy Carlo Azeglio Ciampi 22 July – 1 August 67 2208 1562 646 14 143  United States
20 2005 Australia 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 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria2 Rosen Plevneliev 26 July – 4 August2 83 2711 1792 919 16 2032  Russia
23 2017 Turkey Samsun, Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 18–30 July 97 2856 1897 959 18 219  Russia
24 2022 Brazil Caxias do Sul, Brazil First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro 1–15 May 20223 71 1489 1022 467 183 2193  Ukraine
25 2025 Japan Tokyo, Japan 15–26 November

1

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 have been postponed until May 2022 and due the small number of venues near Caxias do Sul and Brazil and a low 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

2019
2023
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Host cities of the Winter Deaflympics