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Removed "The Fraud and Cancellation of the 17th Winter Deaflympic in Slovakia" section as most of the information was copied from two news articles. Added two references to those news articles in the last sentence of the History section.
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To qualify for the games, athletes must have a [[hearing loss]] 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.<ref name="Historical overview"/> Other examples of ways the games vary from hearing competitions are the manner in which they are officiated. The football referees wave a flag instead of blowing a whistle. On the track, races are started by using a light flash, instead of a starter pistol. It is also customary for spectators not to cheer or clap.
To qualify for the games, athletes must have a [[hearing loss]] 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.<ref name="Historical overview"/> Other examples of ways the games vary from hearing competitions are the manner in which they are officiated. The football referees wave a flag instead of blowing a whistle. On the track, races are started by using a light flash, instead of a starter pistol. It is also customary for spectators not to cheer or clap.


The International Committee of Deaf Sports (ICSD) regrets to confirm that the 17th Winter Deaflympics has been officially [[Deaflympics#Host nations and cities|cancelled]] at 16:00 on Friday, 11 February. The 43rd ICSD Congress will be postponed to a later date.
The International Committee of Deaf Sports (ICSD) regrets to confirm that the 17th Winter Deaflympics has been officially [[Deaflympics#Host nations and cities|cancelled]] at 16:00 on Friday, 11 February. The 43rd ICSD Congress will be postponed to a later date. <ref>http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/41663/10/ministry_blames_organisers_for_cancelled_deaflympics_games_and_takes_no_responsibility.html</ref><ref>http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/41736/10/deaflympic_organiser_in_slovakia_charged_with_fraud.html</ref>

== The Fraud and Cancellation of the 17th Winter Deaflympic in Slovakia ==

The organizing of the 2011 Winter Deaflympic Games was under the control of non-governmental entities and private individuals who planned the event without receiving consent from the Education, Science and Sports Ministry, states a release from the ministry provided to the media on February 14, 2011. The Head of the Slovak Deaflympic Committee is [[Jaromir Ruda]].

After international athletes arrived in Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia, they were told that the 17th Winter Deaflympic was canceled 3 days before the grand opening ceremony. The cancellation shocked and embarrassed Slovakia and deaf communities from around the world.

In a statement on February 14, [[Jaromir Ruda]] rejected claims that he has been dodging responsibility for the collapse of the games. "I'm aware of all ramifications that have been caused by the cancellation of the Deaflympic Games. I have never absconded ... what I find important for me, rather than responding to questions put forward by the media, is to set about immediately making up for the repercussions and securing funding in order to settle all debts as soon as possible," reads the statement issued by Ruda.

Ruda further stated that the main reason for canceling the event was the fact that the organisers failed to secure funding in time. "I received information in January that I would receive the required funding by the end of February, which is obviously too late, though," Ruda said.

Jaromir Ruda, the Head of the Slovak Deaflympic Committee, was arrested at the Hungarian border on Saturday evening on February 19, 2011. An investigator from the Office for the Fight Against Corruption has filed fraud charges against Jaromír Ruda, the organizer of the cancelled Winter Deaflympic Games in Slovakia. The Police Corps’ spokesperson, Andrea Dobiašová, said that Ruda used his position as president of the Slovak Deaflympic Committee to fraudulently borrow [[euro|€]]11 million from four or more companies to secure the Winter Deaflympics with a false guarantee from the Bank of Columbia. Ruda has not returned the money or explained how it has been used.

Ruda did not use any of the money for the planned purpose and the police are now investigating what actually happened to it all. Ruda is in custody until his trial. Police said that Ruda could be sentenced for up to 15 years in jail for his fraudulent actions and new charges may be filed. Police are investigating the case.

Ruda is accused of having borrowed 11 million euro from at least four companies through co-operation agreements to help prepare the 17th Winter Deaflympic Games, Slovakia, which had to be cancelled three days before the start. He presented them with a false bank guarantee from the Bank of Columbia. Ruda also managed to extract over €1 million from the [[International Committee of Sports for the Deaf]] (ICSD) using false documentation, by getting its members to send money for accommodation and other services directly to the Slovak Deaflympics Committee instead of dealing directly with the facilities.

Ruda has a long past of generating a trail of debts behind him, and is facing an earlier lawsuit on embezzlement of €1.7 million also in connection with the games. He has managed to avoid the charges for two years already by not showing up in court several times.


== Sports ==
== Sports ==

Revision as of 07:30, 27 March 2011

Deaflympics
File:International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (CISS) Logo.gif
Deaflympics Logo
MottoPER LUDOS AEQUALITAS (Equality through sport)
First event1924 in Paris, France — 1924 Summer Deaflympics
Occur every4 years
Last event2009 in Taipei, Taiwan — 2009 Summer Deaflympics
PurposeProvision of opportunities for deaf persons to participate in elite sports
HeadquartersFrederick, Maryland, United States
PresidentCraig A Crowley MBE
WebsiteDeaflympics Official Website

The Deaflympics (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are an IOC-sanctioned event at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level. The games have been organised by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS, "The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf") since the first event.

History

The Deaf Olympics are held every 4 years, and are the longest running multi-sport event excluding the Olympics themselves.[1] The first games, held in Paris in 1924, were also the first ever international sporting event for athletes with a disability.[2] 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.[3] At the first Games in Paris, 145 athletes from nine European nations took part. In 2005 the 20th Games were held in Melbourne, Australia, and according to the Deaflympics website, "[m]ore than 3,200 deaf athletes and officials from 67 nations" participated.[4]

Officially, the games were originally called the "International Games for the Deaf" from 1924 to 1965, but were sometimes 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 2000, the games have been known by their current name "Deaflympics" (often mistakenly called the "Deaf Olympics").[3]

To qualify for the games, athletes must have a hearing loss 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.[3] Other examples of ways the games vary from hearing competitions are the manner in which they are officiated. The football referees wave a flag instead of blowing a whistle. On the track, races are started by using a light flash, instead of a starter pistol. It is also customary for spectators not to cheer or clap.

The International Committee of Deaf Sports (ICSD) regrets to confirm that the 17th Winter Deaflympics has been officially cancelled at 16:00 on Friday, 11 February. The 43rd ICSD Congress will be postponed to a later date. [5][6]

Sports

The following sports are currently on the Deaflympic Games programme:[7]

Summer disciplines

Individual sports

Team sports

Winter disciplines

Individual sports

Team sports

Host nations and cities

To date, the Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 36 cities in 21 countries, but by cities outside Europe on only five occasions (Washington D.C. 1965, Los Angeles 1985, Christchurch 1989, Melbourne 2005 and Taipei 2009). The next summer games will be held in Athens, Greece in 2013, and the next scheduled winter games will be in Vancouver in 2015.

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.[8][9] The International Committee of Deaf Sports filed a criminal complaint against the Slovakian Deaflympics Organizing Committee, and the Slovakia Deaflympic Committee and the Slovakia Association of Deaf Sportsmen Unions have been suspended.[10]

The host cities and NOCs for all past and scheduled games are as follows:[2][11]

Summer Deaflympics

Year Games Host City NOC
1924 I Paris  France
1928 II Amsterdam  Netherlands
1931 III Nürnberg  Germany
1935 IV London  United Kingdom
1939 V Stockholm  Sweden
No games were held between 1940–48 due to World War II
1949 VI Copenhagen  Denmark
1953 VII Brussels  Belgium
1957 VIII Milan  Italy
1961 IX Helsinki  Finland
1965 X Washington DC  United States
1969 XI Belgrade  Yugoslavia
1973 XII Malmö  Sweden
1977 XIII Bucharest  Romania
1981 XIV Köln  West Germany
1985 XV Los Angeles  United States
1989 XVI Christchurch  New Zealand
1993 XVII Sofia  Bulgaria
1997 XVIII Copenhagen  Denmark
2001 XIX Rome  Italy
2005 XX Melbourne  Australia
2009 XXI Taipei Chinese Taipei
2013 XXII Athens  Greece

Winter Deaflympics

Year Games Host City NOC
1949 I Seefeld  Austria
1953 II Oslo  Norway
1955 III Oberammergau  Germany
1959 IV Montana-Vermala  Switzerland
1963 V Åre  Sweden
1967 VI Berchtesgaden  Germany
1971 VII Adelboden  Switzerland
1975 VIII Lake Placid  United States
1979 IX Méribel  France
1983 X Madonna di Campiglio  Italy
1987 XI Oslo  Norway
1991 XII Banff  Canada
1995 XIII Ylläs  Finland
1999 XIV Davos  Switzerland
2003 XV Sundsvall  Sweden
2007 XVI Salt Lake City  United States
2011 XVII Vysoké Tatry (cancelled)  Slovakia
2015 XVIII Vancouver  Canada

See also

References

  1. ^ What are the Deaflympics? - Disabled World
  2. ^ a b Future Directions of the Deaflympics.
  3. ^ a b c Historical overview of the Paralympics, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics.
  4. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf - About
  5. ^ http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/41663/10/ministry_blames_organisers_for_cancelled_deaflympics_games_and_takes_no_responsibility.html
  6. ^ http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/41736/10/deaflympic_organiser_in_slovakia_charged_with_fraud.html
  7. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf - Sports
  8. ^ http://www.healthyhearing.com/releases/47715-deaf-athletes-winter-deaflympics-cancelled
  9. ^ http://www.deaflympics.com/news/pressreleases.asp?ID=1544
  10. ^ http://www.deaflympics.com/news/pressreleases.asp?ID=1545
  11. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf - Games
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