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 event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...
s sanctioned by the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
(IOC) at which
deaf
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
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
whistle
A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...
s).
[International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – News](_blank)
. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 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.
The first games, held in Paris in 1924, were the first ever international sporting event for athletes with a
disability
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...
.
[Future Directions of the Deaflympics](_blank)
. Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 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.
[Historical overview of the Paralympics, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics](_blank)
. Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 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.
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).
To qualify for the games, athletes must have a
hearing loss
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...
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.
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
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, the
International Committee of Sports for the Deaf
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
(ICSD) banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from that year's Deaflympics in
Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
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
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
1985,
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
1989,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
2005,
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
2009 and
Caxias do Sul in 2022). The last summer games were held in
Caxias do Sul, Brazil and
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, Malaysia in 2022. The Winter Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 17 cities in 12 countries. The last winter games were held in
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
, Turkey in 2024. The next summer games are scheduled to be in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, 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. The International Committee of Deaf Sports filed a criminal complaint against the Slovak Deaflympics Organizing Committee and its president, Mr. Jaromír Ruda.
[ICSD Pursuing Legal Action Following Failure of 17th Winter Deaflympics](_blank)
. Deaf Sports Mag. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 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.
According to the Slovak newspaper,
''SME'', "Jaromír Ruda, head of the Slovak Organising Committee,
sa champion of promises and someone who is accused of a 1.6 million Euro Deaflympics-related fraud". 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". Currently, the Slovak Deaflympic Committee and the Slovakia Association of Deaf Sportsmen Unions have been suspended. In 2013 the Special Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica sentenced Ruda to a prison term of years for defrauding €1.6 million that should have been used for Winter Deaflympics.
The host cities and
National Deaf Sports Associations for all past and scheduled games are as follows:
Unique aspects
The Deaflympics are unique in that athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 dB in their better ear to qualify. Hearing aids, cochlear implants, and similar devices are not allowed during competition to ensure a level playing field. Additionally, sports officiating methods are adapted; for example, football referees use flags instead of whistles, and track races are started with lights instead of pistols.
Recent developments
The upcoming 2025 Summer Deaflympics will be hosted in Tokyo, Japan, from November 15 to November 26, 2025. This will be the first time Japan hosts the Deaflympics.
Notable athletes
Terence Parkin: A South African swimmer, Terence Parkin is one of the most decorated Deaflympians, having won 33 medals in swimming events. He also competed in the
2000 Sydney Olympics, where he won a silver medal in the
200 m breaststroke.
Reed Gershwind: An American swimmer, Reed Gershwind has won 30 medals in the Deaflympics, making him one of the most successful athletes in the history of the games.
List of Summer Deaflympics hosts
1 The
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
is recognised as
Chinese Taipei
"Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan.
Due to the One China principle stipulated by the ...
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
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
2 The marathon had been held 4 days before the opening ceremonies in
Füssen,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on 21 July 2013.
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
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and a small number of participants, the bowling events were transferred to
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and were held between 20 and 30 October 2022.
List of Winter Deaflympics hosts
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.
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.
Combined
Sports
Summer Deaflympics
The following sports have been contested in a Summer Deaflympic Games programme:
Winter Deaflympics
The following sports have been contested in a Winter Deaflympic Games programme:
See also
*
Disabled sports
References
External links
*
Comité International des Sports des Sourds– official website
{{Disability navbox
Deaf sports competitions
Disabled multi-sport events
Recurring sporting events established in 1924