Deaf Sport History

Introduction

Deaf Sports Australia welcomes you to our wonderful photos, videos, and stories about Deaf Sport, Deaf Community and Deaf Culture shared on our website.

In October 2023, as part of the 2024 Australian Deaf Games program, we created our first ever national exhibition was hosted at the Newcastle Library from October 2023 until end of March 2024.

The exhibition was a collaboration between Deaf Sports Australia, Newcastle Libraries and Deaf Connect and created an opportunity to share the rich deaf history that goes back to the 1880’s in sport, community, pioneer leaders, culture, language, deaf clubs and deaf stories.

The exhibition was hosted in the Lovett Gallery of Newcastle Library and included stories about our varied Deaf Sport history, Deaf Pioneers, our Carnivals and Deaf Games, Deaf clubs, international involvement, displays of unique sport access equipment and photos, and how the Australian Deaf community developed.

The exhibition project was created and developed by a team led by DSA General Manager Phil Harper including Dr. Breda Carty from Deaf Connect, Tony Clews (Deaf Connect), Melissa Anderson and Julian Walsh. Significant support was provided by Deaf Connect.

Over 800 visitors attended the Exhibition during the 2024 Australian Deaf Games time and we had Schools with deaf / hard of hearing students attend as well as the Deaf community in NSW and general public over the 4 months.

Now you can see most of the exhibition material here on our website.

If you have photos, videos or stories about deaf sports you want to share with everyone, please contact Phil Harper – phil.harper@deafsports.org.au

Enjoy – we want to continue to grow showcasing our rich history and deaf sports stories. We welcome suggestions to improve the Deaf Sport history page.

Acknowledgement of Country

Acknowledgement of Country 'In the spirit of reconciliation, Deaf Sport Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders

John Lovett AM … a life of passion for Deaf Sport and Community.

For over 40 years, John’s voluntary involvement with deaf people and community was extensive and included Deaf organisations at local, state, national and international levels. His sporting life started as an athlete in basketball and

Language, Communication and Creativity in the Deaf Sports Community

‘Sports have brought deaf people together in Australia since the 1890s. They have influenced the spread and development of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and sports gatherings have provided fertile environments for language research and documentation.

Celebrating the Australian Deaf Sport story over 140 years.

‘A fascinating journey of deaf sport in Australia for over 140 years. Starting back to the formation of a Deaf Cricket club in Melbourne in 1881, sport has been an important part of supporting

Significant Milestones

‘Throughout 140 years of history, we have witnessed many significant milestones that illustrate our journey over time. Key events, people and times that bring us to where we are today. There are many more milestones

Our Pioneers and Champions

“Our history goes back more than 140 years and through that time, many deaf people across the country played an important role in enabling sport to be a central part of Deaf community life.

The Melbourne 2005 Deaflympics Story.

An extraordinary event, where for the first time a major international sport event was held in Australia. Over 3500 deaf athletes and officials participated in the Games with our largest ever Australian team and

Sport through the Generations

‘Some Australian families have deaf members across several generations, and these multi-generational deaf families can provide a window into the ways sporting participation has shaped Deaf communities. Different sports have been popular in different eras,

From ‘hand waving … to flags … to flashing lights

When Playing sport, Communication is the biggest barrier faced by deaf and hard of hearing Australians. Our eyes are important to participation awareness and successfully enjoying and achieving your sport goals. Before visual technology,

John M. Lovett Cup

‘Originally named the Australian Deaf Sport Federation (ADSF) Cup, a decision was made to re-name it the John M Lovett Cup at the 2012 Australian Deaf Games in honour of a deaf person who contributed