Deaflympics

The Australian women’s deaf basketball team poses by a Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics sign. | Photo from @shirleyliuofficial on Instagram

Dec. 3 2025 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor

Last week, the 2025 Tokyo Deaflympics concluded after an 11-day run that included 209 events across 18 different sports such as swimming, basketball, tennis, judo and more. Ukraine led the medal count by a large margin with 100 total medals, with the next closest country being Japan with a total of 51, although non-nationally affiliated athletes technically came in second in medal counts, with 52, and tied Ukraine’s gold medal count of 32. The United States was seventh in the overall medal count, winning 35, but was tied for third place in the gold medal count with 16.

This year’s games marked the 100-year anniversary of the sporting event after it started in 1924, then known as the International Silent Games and held in Paris. The main pioneers of the games were Eugene Rubens-Alcais, who was the president of the French Deaf Sports Federation, and Antonio Dresse, who was a deaf sports activist and represented Belgium during the earliest iterations of the games and won nine total medals, with one of them being a gold. After the 1924 games, Rubens-Alcais and Dresse would help form Le Comité International des Sports des Sourds, known in English as The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.

During the Deaflympic games, audio instruction is substituted for visual. Take, for example, track and field events. During the Olympics, a starting gun is used to begin a race. During the Deaflympics, large lights are used to signal the beginning of a race. There is also an important distinction between the Deaflympics and the Paralympics, a sporting competition for athletes with physical disabilities. In the Paralympics, there is no division for deaf athletes to participate in. According to the International Deaf Sports Committee, “Many deaf people do not consider themselves disabled,” and so their omission from the Paralympics means that the Deaflympics, for and by deaf people, are the best fit.

Some athletes have even competed in both the Deaflympic and Olympic Games. Most recently, Diksha Dagar participated in the 2020 and 2024 games in golf after winning a gold medal in the Caxias do Sul Deaflympic games in 2022. Jakub Nosek, another Deaflympian, represented the Czech Republic in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympic Games as a member of the bobsleigh team.

One of the top performers of the games was the Kenyan track team as a whole, who had all of the medalists for the 5,000-meter race, with Ian Wambui Kahinga leading the way, along with James Mwanza Musembi and Nelson Kipkorir Rotich trailing just behind. Wambui’s performance was especially noteworthy as he set the Deaflympics world record with a 5,000-meter time of 13:52.83. This time cleared the previous record, which had stood since 2013 when it was set by Symon Kibai, by about ten seconds. “This is a dream come true,” Wambui said. “Breaking the world record was my ultimate goal. We worked as a team and I’m proud that Kenya owns the entire podium.” Wambui, who is only 24, has a long career ahead of him and will likely be one of the top competitors in the event for years to come, along with Musembi, who is only 21 years old himself. The performance from the three contributed to a 15-count medal tally that included five golds.

In soccer, the United States men’s team had an unexpected run, making it all the way to fourth place with wins against Korea and Brazil. While head coach Everett Palache is still learning how to sign himself, the team utilized interpreters to help him communicate with the team, having three total. One was specifically assigned to shadow Palache and help him communicate as he led the team through practice. Palache also explained that they would utilize color-coded pinnies and vests that Palache could use in order to get players’ attention, with red ones conveying some sort of immediate message while yellow ones would mean to keep checking in with Palache and his interpreters over the upcoming minutes. The women’s soccer team secured a fifth gold medal, the most of any country in women’s soccer, after beating Japan 4-0 in the final. The team also extended an impressive record, having never lost in 20 total years of play. In fact, the team has only ever played to a draw once, making them one of the most dominant teams across any sport in any competition. The United States also captured gold in men’s basketball, defeating Ukraine 69-59 in the gold medal match. The women’s basketball team won silver after just barely falling in a thrilling match against Japan that ended 65-64.

In addition to the accessibility for deaf athletes, there were special changes to make the event accessible to deaf spectators. For example, during badminton matches, screens would show the sounds of the match as text to allow spectators to follow along more easily. Volunteer ASL interpreters were also around to help guide guests around to make the experience as smooth as possible.

“I think the event was really well done,” said Western senior and ASL studies major Abby Money, who was a spectator at the event. “It was catered to both hearing and deaf people. They had interpreters on the big screens in the middle of the arena when they had announcements and even had international sign language for the people who didn’t know Japanese sign language.” Money also noted the difference in how fans interacted with the event and cheered on athletes. “When they had someone competing, they would take their hand from their shoulder and it almost looked like they were throwing something forward.”

The next iteration of the Summer Deaflympics is projected to take place in early 2029, with the location to be determined. The Tokyo games, however, were incredibly successful and drew record attendance, which bodes well for any future hosts that the games will be worth the time and investment from a financial standpoint. In fact, the attendance total far surpassed the initial goal of 100,000 spectators set by organizers. At the closing ceremony, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said, “The dynamic performances of the deaf athletes gave courage and hope to the world. We were able to show the world what an inclusive society really looks like.”

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Written by: Sierra Porter | Staff Writer Robin Winn | Freelancer

Sports, as a whole, is an extremely significant part of many individuals’ lives — inspiring unity, patriotism and a sense of community. Unfortunately, not everyone has been fairly represented in sports and those in disabled communities have had to fight for equal rights and opportunities in all areas, particularly in sports. The history of activism and the Disability Rights Movement dates far back to the 1800s, when meetings and events were conducted demanding civil rights for disabled individuals.

The 1973 Rehabilitation Act provided many elements that inspired the Disability Rights Movement, specifically Section 504 which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the workplace. This was written, but not implemented — frustrating supporters of the movement. This dismissal also encouraged the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, ACCD, to conduct sit-ins in different government buildings, finally forcing President Nixon to sign all regulations.

The first step made towards raising representation of disabled athletes, besides the obvious rights movements, was the Deaflympics. The first game took place at the 1924 Paris International Silent Game, where nine European Nations participated — making it a first for any group of people with disabilities.

The games were organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, CISS, which eventually established the Deaflympics, the longest multi-sport event since the Olympics. At a time when society viewed the deaf as intellectually inferior, this was a huge step in paving the way for accurate representation of disabled individuals.

This inspired German neurologist and father of the Paralympic Movement, Ludwig Guttmann to continue disability activism. Guttmann believed that sports could be used as a method of rehabilitation for disabled individuals coming back from WWII and opened the Spinal Injuries Unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Refusing to believe that paraplegia was a death sentence, his work revolutionized the field and changed the way many view disability as a whole.

Building on his belief, Guttmann organized a sports festival for retired servicemen in wheelchairs called the Stoke Mandeville Games — named after the hospital where it took place. On the opening day of the London Olympic Games, Dr. Guttman made a statement by running a concurrent event where disabled individuals could participate in wheelchair archery not only as part of their rehabilitation but also as a way to showcase their abilities. This eventually grew into an international event now known as the Paralympics. This event allowed those participating to no longer be just patients, but athletes as well.

Dr. Guttmann made tremendous progress when it came to the inclusion and representation of disability in sports, but unfortunately, there were still obstacles that disabled athletes would have to overcome. During the 1960 Rome Games, over 400 athletes with disabilities lined up to participate, but were met with issues like lack of accessibility to facilities and funding.

After a long fight, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee reached an agreement to host both events at the same time, with the first official Paralympics held alongside the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

Currently, there has been major progress made in terms of disability in athletics. The NCAA, or National Collegiate Athletic Association, is currently committed to supporting college athletes with disabilities and providing guidelines that best accommodate their needs. Many colleges have adaptive and inclusive sports programs directly focused on disabilities, including two schools here in Oregon. Oregon State University has a club wheelchair basketball program and Portland State University has an Inclusive Recreation program including wheelchair basketball tournaments, adaptive climbing, swimming, goalball and an adapted gym.

While school athletics, particularly K-12, still fall short of providing a fully inclusive environment or fall back on the “inspiration p–n” trope, many improvements and advancements are being made every day.

Many organizations also focus on providing opportunities and resources to disabled athletes across Oregon, such as Oregon Adaptive Sports. Across the country, organizations such as Athletes Without Limits and the Northwest Association of Deaf Basketball or NWABD, and organizations from across the world, including a nonprofit focused on helping athletes with disabilities receive equipment and aids to help them play their sport, are all working to create an inclusive space for disabled athletes.

Meanwhile, the Paralympics is still ongoing, with the next games taking place in Paris starting Aug. 28. A similar organization, the Deaflympics, which includes a variety of sports, is currently holding its Winter Games in Turkey from March 2–12. Special Olympics Australia, a year-round organization focused on supporting athletes with disabilities by providing resources and a welcoming community, recently held a fundraising event called SPLASH.

The impact of the Paralympics is nothing short of huge, and it has successfully integrated itself into mainstream sports — raising awareness for inclusion. During the 1960 Rome Games, China refused to participate in the Paralympics as they stated, “Disability simply doesn’t exist here.” Now there is an established Chinese Sports Association for Disabled Athletes, and in 2021, China sent 250 athletes to participate in the Paralympic Games. Though there are still debates about issues amongst the misrepresentation of disabled individuals and the games like the 2000 Paralympic cheating scandal, there is no doubt the Paralympics has helped foster the spirit of inclusion and has opened the door for disabled individuals everywhere.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

Contact the author at rwinn19@mail.wou.edu

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