Deaf Sports Australia (DSA) is calling on the Australian Government to end the exclusion of elite deaf athletes from high-performance sport funding.
Currently, elite deaf athletes receive no government support for training, travel, or competition at the Deaflympics — relying on self-funding to represent Australia on the world stage.
In a response to DSA dated 17 October, Federal Minister for Sport – The Hon. Anika Wells MP – confirmed that under the Win Well 2032 Sport Strategy, high-performance funding is limited to Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games athletes — excluding Deaflympians.
The Deaflympics, recognised by the International Olympic Committee, will celebrate its 100th anniversary this November in Tokyo.
Yet Australia’s elite deaf athletes remain excluded from high-performance funding. DSA has issued a media statement urging the Australian Government to address this calls for their commitment to giving all high-performance athletes a fair go but also empower our nation’s elite deaf athletes to compete at their absolute best on the world stage.