DEAFLYMPICS

The Deaflympic Games, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, is the second oldest multi sport and cultural festival on earth with a long and proud history since the Inaugural Games in Paris in 1924.

In the years prior to 1924, International sports provided limited opportunities for deaf people. Deaf sporting leaders assembled in 1924 and agreed to establish an organisation called the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS); to establish a union between all deaf National sporting federations and to draft statutes for this organisation to institute and control the quadrennial Games.

This historic meeting heralded the commencement of the Deaflympic Games movement.

The Summer and Winter Deaflympics are among the world’s fastest growing sports events. More than 3,200 deaf athletes and officials from 67 nations participated in the 20th Summer Deaflympics in Melbourne, Australia, in January 2005. Over 600 athletes and officials participated in the 16th Winter Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, United States in February 2007.

The games are built on 80 years of tradition. Organised since 1924 by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds, CISS (The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf), the first Summer Deaflympics were held in Paris. Winter Deaflympics were added in 1949. The Summer and Winter Deaflympics are sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

The need for separate games for deaf athletes is not just evident in the numbers of participants. Deaf athletes are distinguished from all others in their special communication needs on the sports field, as well as in the social interaction that is an equally vital part of the games.