Deaflympics

Deaflympics

Deaflympics Logo
Motto	PER LUDOS AEQUALITAS (Equality through sport)
First event	1924 in Paris, France – 1924 Summer Deaflympics
Occur every	4 years
Last event	2009 in Taipei, Taiwan – 2009 Summer Deaflympics
Purpose	Provision of opportunities for deaf persons to participate in elite sports
Headquarters	Frederick, Maryland, United States
President	Craig A Crowley MBE
Website	Deaflympics Official Website

The Deaflympics (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are an International Olympic Committee (IOC)-sanctioned event at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level. However, unlike the athletes in other IOC-sanctioned events (i.e., the Olympics, the Paralympics, and the Special Olympics), the Deaflympians cannot be guided by sounds (i.e., the starter's guns, bullhorn commands or referee whistles).^[1] The games have been organised by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS, "The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf") since the first event.

History

The Deaflympics are held every 4 years, and are the longest running multi-sport event excluding the Olympics themselves.^[2] The first games, held in Paris in 1924, were also the first ever international sporting event for athletes with a disability.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

Officially, the games were originally called the "International Games for the Deaf" from 1924 to 1965, but were sometimes 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 2000, the games have been known by their current name "Deaflympics" (often mistakenly called the "Deaf Olympics").^[4]

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.^[4] 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 – usually with both hands.

Sports

The following sports are currently on the Deaflympic Games programme:^[6]

Summer disciplines

Individual sports

Athletics (Track and Field) Badminton Bowling Cycling Road

Judo Karate Mountain Bike (starts in Athens 2013) Orienteering Shooting Swimming

Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Wrestling Freestyle Wrestling Greco-Roman

Team sports

• Basketball
• Beach Volleyball
• Football
• Volleyball

Winter disciplines

Individual sports

• Alpine Skiing
• Cross Country Skiing
• Snowboard

Team sports

• Curling
• Ice Hockey

Host nations and cities

To date, the Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 36 cities in 21 countries, but by cities outside Europe on only five occasions (Washington D.C. 1965, Los Angeles 1985, Christchurch 1989, Melbourne 2005 and Taipei 2009). The next summer games will be held in Athens, Greece in 2013, and the next scheduled winter games will be in Vancouver in 2015.

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 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] Ruda was sentenced to a prison term of 13 years for defrauding 1.6 million € that should have been used for Winter Deaflympics.^[13]

The host cities and NOCs for all past and scheduled games are as follows:^[3][14]

Summer Deaflympics

Year	Games	Host City	NOC
1924	I	Paris	France
1928	II	Amsterdam	Netherlands
1931	III	Nürnberg	Germany
1935	IV	London	United Kingdom
1939	V	Stockholm	Sweden
No games were held between 1940–48 due to World War II
1949	VI	Copenhagen	Denmark
1953	VII	Brussels	Belgium
1957	VIII	Milan	Italy
1961	IX	Helsinki	Finland
1965	X	Washington DC	United States
1969	XI	Belgrade	Yugoslavia
1973	XII	Malmö	Sweden
1977	XIII	Bucharest	Romania
1981	XIV	Köln	West Germany
1985	XV	Los Angeles	United States
1989	XVI	Christchurch	New Zealand
1993	XVII	Sofia	Bulgaria
1997	XVIII	Copenhagen	Denmark
2001	XIX	Rome	Italy
2005	XX	Melbourne	Australia
2009	XXI	Taipei	Chinese Taipei
2013	XXII	Athens	Greece

Winter Deaflympics

Year	Games	Host City	NOC
1949	I	Seefeld	Austria
1953	II	Oslo	Norway
1955	III	Oberammergau	Germany
1959	IV	Montana-Vermala	Switzerland
1963	V	Åre	Sweden
1967	VI	Berchtesgaden	Germany
1971	VII	Adelboden	Switzerland
1975	VIII	Lake Placid	United States
1979	IX	Méribel	France
1983	X	Madonna di Campiglio	Italy
1987	XI	Oslo	Norway
1991	XII	Banff	Canada
1995	XIII	Ylläs	Finland
1999	XIV	Davos	Switzerland
2003	XV	Sundsvall	Sweden
2007	XVI	Salt Lake City	United States
2011	XVII	Vysoké Tatry (cancelled)	Slovakia
2015	XVIII	open[15]

See also

• Disabled sports
• Paralympics
• Special Olympics

References

1. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – News. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
2. ^ What are the Deaflympics?. Disabled World. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b} Future Directions of the Deaflympics. Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b c} Historical overview of the Paralympics, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics. Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
5. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – News. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
6. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – Sports. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
7. ^ Winter Olympics: 2011 Winter Deaflympics Cancelled. Healthyhearing.com (17 February 2011). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
8. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease. Deaflympics.com (13 February 2011). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
9. ^ ^{a b} ICSD Pursuing Legal Action Following Failure of 17th Winter Deaflympics. Deaf Sports Mag. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
10. ^ Slovakia: Deaflympics 2011 Controversy · Global Voices. Globalvoicesonline.org. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
11. ^ 2011 US Deaflympics – Article | Letter from ICSD to USA athletes. Usdeaflympics.org (17 February 2011). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
12. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease. Deaflympics.com (14 February 2011). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
13. ^ Deaflympics Committee Head Sentenced to Thirteen Years – English News. Webnoviny.sk. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
14. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – Games. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
15. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease. Deaflympics.com (17 May 2011). Retrieved on 17 October 2011.

External links

• Deaflympics official website
• Asia Pacific Deaf Sports Confederation
• U.S.A. Deaf Sports Federation
• UK Deaf Sport
• Deaf Sports Australia
• Malaysia Sports Federation of the Deaf