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Deaflympics

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Deaflympics Games
Comité International des Sports des Sourds
Deaflympics logo
MottoPer Ludos Aequalitas (Equality Through Sport)
First event1924; 102 years ago (1924) in Paris, France – 1924 Summer Deaflympics[1]
Occur every4 years
Last event2023 Winter Deaflympics in Erzurum, Turkey
2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan
Next event2027 Winter Deaflympics in Innsbruck, Austria
2029 Summer Deaflympics in Athens, Greece
PurposeTo provide opportunities for deaf persons to participate in elite sports
Websitewww.deaflympics.com
www.ciss.org

The Deaflympics, also known as Deaflympiad (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are a periodic series of multi-sport events sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level. Unlike the athletes in other IOC-sanctioned events (the Olympics, the Paralympics, and the Special Olympics), athletes cannot be guided by sounds (such as starting pistols, bullhorn commands or referee whistles).[2] The games have been organized by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS, "The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf") since the first event in 1924.

History

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The Deaflympics are held every four years, and are the longest running multi-sport event in history after the Olympics.[3] The first games, held in Paris in 1924, were the first ever international sporting event for athletes with a disability.[4] 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.[5] The games began as a small gathering of 148 athletes from nine European nations competing in the International Silent Games in Paris, France, in 1924; now, they have grown into a global movement.[2]

Officially, the games were originally called the "International Games for the Deaf" from 1924 to 1965, but were sometimes also 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 2001, the games have been known by their current name Deaflympics (often mistakenly called the Deaf Olympics).[5]

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.[5] Other examples of ways the games vary from hearing competitions are the manner in which they are officiated. To address the issue of Deaflympians not being able to be guided by sounds, certain sports use alternative methods of commencing the game. For example, the football referees wave a flag instead of blowing a whistle; on the track, races are started by using a light, instead of a starter pistol. It is also customary for spectators not to cheer or clap, but rather to wave with both hands, the Deaf form of applause.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from that year's Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.[6]

Host nations and cities

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The Summer Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 24 cities in 20 countries, but by cities outside Europe on only seven occasions (Washington, D.C. 1965, Los Angeles in 1985, Christchurch in 1989, Melbourne in 2005, Taipei in 2009, Caxias do Sul in 2022 and Tokyo in 2025 – the most recently held event). The Winter Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 17 cities in 12 countries. The last winter Games were held in Erzurum, Turkey in 2023.

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.[7][8] The International Committee of Deaf Sports filed a criminal complaint against the Slovak Deaflympics Organizing Committee and its president, Mr. Jaromír Ruda.[9] The criminal complaint demands reimbursement of the funds that were transferred to the Slovak Deaflympics Organizing Committee from national deaf sports federations, to cover hotel accommodations and other Deaflympics-related expenses.[9] According to the Slovak newspaper, SME, "Jaromír Ruda, head of the Slovak Organising Committee, [is] a champion of promises and someone who is accused of a 1.6 million Euro Deaflympics-related fraud".[10] In a letter to the United States Deaflympians, International Committee of Sports for the Deaf ICSD President Craig Crowley expressed "his deep apologies for the cancellation of the 17th Winter Deaflympics".[11] Currently, the Slovak Deaflympic Committee and the Slovakia Association of Deaf Sportsmen Unions have been suspended.[12] In 2013 the Special Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica sentenced Ruda to a prison term of 14+1⁄2 years for defrauding €1.6 million that should have been used for Winter Deaflympics.[13]

The host cities and National Deaf Sports Associations for all past and scheduled games are as follows:[4][14]

List of Summer Deaflympics hosts

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Games Year Host Opened by Dates Nations Competitors Sports Events Top-ranked
Total Men Women
1 1924 France Paris, France Gaston Doumergue 10–17 August 9 148 147 1 6 31  France
2 1928 Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands Wilhelmina of the Netherlands 18–26 August 10 212 198 14 5 38  Great Britain
3 1931 Germany Nuremberg, Germany Paul von Hindenburg 19–23 August 14 316 288 28 6 43  Germany
4 1935 United Kingdom London, Great Britain George V 17–24 August 12 221 178 43 5 41  Great Britain
5 1939 Sweden Stockholm, Sweden Gustaf V 24–27 August 13 250 208 42 6 43  Great Britain
6 1949 Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark Frederik IX of Denmark 12–16 August 14 391 342 49 7 51  Great Britain
7 1953 Belgium Brussels, Belgium Baudouin of Belgium 15–19 August 16 473 432 41 7 57  Germany
8 1957 Italy Milan, Italy Giovanni Gronchi 25–30 August 25 635 565 70 9 69  Soviet Union
9 1961 Finland Helsinki, Finland Urho Kekkonen 6–10 August 24 613 503 110 10 94  Soviet Union
10 1965 United States Washington, D.C., United States Lyndon B. Johnson 27 June – 3 July 27 687 575 112 9 85  Soviet Union
11 1969 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Belgrade, Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito 9–16 August 33 1189 964 225 12 105  Soviet Union
12 1973 Sweden Malmö, Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf 21–28 August 31 1116 893 223 11 97  United States
13 1977 Romania Bucharest, Romania Nicolae Ceauşescu 17–27 July 32 1150 913 237 11 106  United States
14 1981 West Germany Cologne, West Germany Helmut Schmidt 23 July – 1 August 32 1198 893 305 11 110  United States
15 1985 United States Los Angeles, United States Ronald Reagan 10–20 August 29 995 745 250 11 96  United States
16 1989 New Zealand Christchurch, New Zealand David Lange 7–17 January 30 955 726 229 12 120  United States
17 1993 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria Zhelyu Zhelev 24 July – 2 August 52 1,679 1,295 384 12 126  United States
18 1997 Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark John M. Lovett 13–26 July 65 2,028 1,496 534 14 140  United States
19 2001 Italy Rome, Italy Carlo Azeglio Ciampi 22 July – 1 August 67 2,208 1,562 646 14 143  United States
20 2005 Australia Melbourne, Australia Marigold Southey 5–16 January 63 2,038 1,402 636 14 147  Ukraine
21 2009 Taipei, Chinese Taipei 1 Ma Ying-jeou 5–15 September 80 2,670 1,714 779 17 177  Russia
22 2013 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria 2 Rosen Plevneliev 26 July – 4 August 2 83 2,711 1,792 919 16 2032  Russia
23 2017 Turkey Samsun, Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 18–30 July 97 2,856 1,897 959 18 219  Russia
24 2022 Brazil Caxias do Sul, Brazil Michelle Bolsonaro 1–15 May 2022 3 71 2,412 1,647 765 18 3 219 3  Ukraine
25 2025 Japan Tokyo, Japan Ádám Kósa 15–26 November 79 2,911 1,878 1,033 18 209  Ukraine
26 2029 Greece Athens, Greece Future event

1 TaiwanThe Republic of China (Taiwan) is recognised as Chinese Taipei by the CISS and the majority of international organisations it participates in due to political considerations and Cross-Strait relations with the People's Republic of China.

2 The marathon was held 4 days before the opening ceremony in Füssen, Germany on 21 July 2013.[15]

3 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Summer Deaflympics that were to be held in December 2021 were postponed until May 2022, and due to the small number of venues within the host city, the bowling events were transferred to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and were held between 20 and 30 October 2022.[16]

List of Winter Deaflympics hosts

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Games Year Host Opened by Dates Nations Competitors Sports Events Top-ranked
Total Men Women
1 1949 Austria Seefeld, Austria 26–30 February 5 33 33 0 2 5 Switzerland
2 1953 Norway Oslo, Norway 20–24 February 6 44 42 2 4 9  Norway
3 1955 Germany Oberammergau, West Germany 10–13 February 8 59 54 5 4 11  Norway
4 1959 Montana-Vermala, Switzerland 27–31 January 10 42 3 14  Norway
5 1963 Sweden Åre, Sweden 12–16 March 9 60 2 13  Austria
6 1967 Germany Berchtesgaden, West Germany 20–25 February 12 89 2 11  Norway
7 1971 Adelboden, Switzerland 25–30 February 13 145 2 11 Switzerland
8 1975 United States Lake Placid, United States 2–8 February 13 136 4 12  Canada
9 1979 France Méribel, France 21–27 January 14 180 3 12  Soviet Union
10 1983 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy 13–23 January 15 147 3 17  Soviet Union
11 1987 Norway Oslo, Norway 7–14 February 15 169 3 18  Norway
12 1991 Canada Banff, Canada 2–9 March 16 175 5 18  Soviet Union
13 1995 Finland Ylläs, Finland 14–19 March 18 260 4 15  Russia
14 1999 Davos, Switzerland 6–14 March 18 273 5 17  Russia
15 2003 Sweden Sundsvall, Sweden 26 February – 9 March 21 259 4 23  Russia
16 2007 United States Salt Lake City, United States 1–10 February 23 302 5 26  Russia
17 2011 Slovakia Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia 16–28 February Cancelled
18 2015 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk and Magnitogorsk, Russia Vitaly Mutko 28 March – 5 April 27 344 5 31  Russia
19 2019 Italy Sondrio Province, Italy Marco Scaramellini 12–21 December 34 493 7 36  Russia
20 2023 Turkey Erzurum, Turkey Mustafa Çiftçi 2–12 March 2024 36 534 314 220 6 34  Ukraine
21 2027 Austria Innsbruck, Austria Future event 15-24 January Future event

Youth Games

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1st Summer Youth Deaf Games was held in 2024 in Brazil with 17 nations in 4 sports (28 events).[17][18][19]

All-time medal table

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Combined

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As of August 2024 (after the Winter Games in Erzurum)
Rank Nation Summer Winter Combined
Total Total Total
1 United States 393 328 375 1096 21 29 34 84 414 357 409 1180
2 Russia 237 206 223 666 53 40 42 135 290 246 265 801
3 Ukraine 198 215 199 611 14 19 13 46 212 234 212 658
4 Soviet Union 173 124 108 405 24 26 21 71 197 150 129 476
5 Italy 100 103 124 327 22 14 16 52 122 117 140 379
6 West Germany 121 121 120 362 0 0 0 0 121 121 120 362
7 Iran 113 91 111 315 1 0 0 1 114 81 92 316
8 Japan 95 85 83 263 8 6 6 20 103 91 89 283
9 South Korea 90 86 81 257 0 2 3 5 90 88 84 262
10 France 78 95 100 273 11 17 15 43 89 112 115 316
11 Norway 32 28 25 85 48 36 40 124 80 64 65 209
12 Great Britain 72 88 99 259 2 2 2 6 74 90 101 265
13 Germany 59 102 103 264 13 19 30 62 72 121 133 326
14 Finland 50 52 47 149 21 21 20 62 71 73 67 211
15 Sweden 65 84 63 212 2 15 10 27 67 99 73 239
16 China 58 50 66 174 10 8 11 29 68 58 77 203
17 Hungary 52 55 47 154 0 1 2 3 52 56 49 157
18 Australia 45 29 33 107 6 4 1 11 51 33 34 118
19 Poland 44 81 98 223 5 5 1 11 49 86 99 234
20 Canada 32 41 38 111 18 8 8 34 50 49 46 145
21 Denmark 47 40 54 141 0 0 0 0 47 40 54 141
22 Turkey 42 51 80 173 0 0 1 1 42 51 81 174
23 Czech Republic 20 12 15 47 18 9 6 33 38 21 21 80
24 Belarus 37 48 24 109 0 0 0 0 37 48 24 109
25 South Africa 35 17 10 62 0 0 0 0 35 17 10 62
26 Netherlands 33 35 29 97 0 0 0 0 33 35 29 97
27 Chinese Taipei 31 48 50 129 0 0 0 0 31 48 50 129
28 Switzerland 9 16 16 41 20 29 24 73 29 45 40 114
29 India 26 9 21 56 0 0 0 0 26 9 21 56
30 Austria 2 6 8 16 23 26 27 76 25 32 35 92
31 Yugoslavia 24 13 21 58 0 1 1 2 24 14 22 60
32 Kenya 21 20 25 66 0 0 0 0 21 20 25 66
33 Ireland 16 15 11 42 0 0 0 0 16 15 11 42
34 Bulgaria 15 43 51 109 0 0 0 0 15 43 51 109
35 Belgium 15 29 41 85 0 0 0 0 15 29 41 85
36 Lithuania 15 22 30 67 0 1 0 1 15 23 30 68
37 Venezuela 14 13 27 54 0 0 0 0 14 13 27 54
38 Cuba 14 6 12 32 0 0 0 0 14 6 12 32
39 Estonia 12 8 15 35 0 0 0 0 12 8 15 35
40 Kazakhstan 7 8 26 41 1 0 1 2 8 8 27 43
41 Croatia 7 6 3 16 1 1 4 6 8 7 7 22
42 Greece 7 11 13 31 0 0 0 0 7 11 13 31
43 Slovakia 5 5 5 15 2 5 0 7 7 10 5 22
44 East Germany 7 8 8 23 0 0 0 0 7 8 8 23
45 Portugal 7 4 6 17 0 0 0 0 7 4 6 17
46 Romania 6 9 14 29 0 0 0 0 6 9 14 29
47 Latvia 5 7 4 16 1 0 0 1 6 7 4 17
48 New Zealand 5 6 7 18 0 0 0 0 5 6 7 18
49 Slovenia 2 2 3 7 2 2 3 7 4 4 6 14
50 Malaysia 3 11 4 18 0 0 0 0 3 11 4 18
51 Czechoslovakia 3 7 9 19 0 0 0 0 3 7 9 19
52 Mexico 3 3 3 9 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 9
53 Puerto Rico 3 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 4
54 Mongolia 2 6 14 22 0 0 0 0 2 6 14 22
55 Spain 1 5 7 13 1 0 0 1 2 5 7 14
56 Singapore 2 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 4
57 Argentina 1 4 5 10 0 0 0 0 1 4 5 10
58 Brazil 1 1 13 15 0 1 1 2 1 2 14 17
59 Colombia 1 2 2 5 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 5
60 Algeria 1 1 3 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 5
61 Dominican Republic 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
Ecuador 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
63 Israel 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 4
64 Macau 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2
Thailand 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2
United Arab Emirates 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2
67 Chile 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
68 Kyrgyzstan 0 2 9 11 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 11
69 Georgia 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3
Nigeria 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3
71 Armenia 0 1 10 11 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 11
72 Serbia 0 1 3 4 0 0 1 1 0 1 4 5
73 Indonesia 0 1 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4
74 Moldova 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2
75 Iceland 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
76 Uzbekistan 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4
77 Saudi Arabia 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
78 Cyprus 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Egypt 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Hong Kong 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Turkmenistan 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Total 2496 2498 2709 7703 349 347 344 1040 2845 2845 3053 8743

Sports

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Summer Deaflympics

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The following sports have been contested in a Summer Deaflympic Games programme:

Sport (Discipline) Body 24 28 31 35 39 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77 81 85 89 93 97 01 05 09 13 17 21 25
 
Current summer sports
 
Aquatics – Swimming 7 10 11 10 11 14 18 14 14 15 17 17 26 26 34 31 34 32 38 38 38 38 40 45 42
 
Athletics 17 20 23 23 23 24 26 32 32 33 34 34 35 30 32 36 40 40 43 42 43 44 43 45 43
Badminton 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 6 6
Basketball DIBF 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Bowling 10 10 10 10 8 12 7 7
 
Cycling – Mountain 2 2 2 4
Cycling – Road 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 7 8 8 8
 
Football 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
 
Golf 2 2 3
Handball 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1
Judo 10 17 17 16 16
Karate 5 15 18 16 14
Orienteering 6 6 5 8 9 10 9
Shooting 1 1 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 8 7 7 6 6 10 11 12 13 13
Table Tennis 5 5 7 7 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Taekwondo 8 13 13 11 11
Tennis 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
 
Volleyball – Beach 2 2 2 2 2 2
Volleyball – Indoor 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
 
Wrestling – Freestyle 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 8 8 7 7 7 8 8 6
Wrestling – Greco-Roman 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 8 8 7 7 7 8 8 6
 
Discontinued summer sports
 
Aquatics – Diving 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Aquatics – Water Polo 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
 
Gymnastics – Artistic 2 2 13 12 12
 
Demonstration summer sports
 
Gymnastics – Artistic •
Gymnastics – Rhythmic •
 
Total 31 38 43 45 47 51 57 69 94 85 105 97 106 110 96 120 126 140 143 147 177 203 219 219 209

Winter Deaflympics

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The following sports have been contested in a Winter Deaflympic Games programme:

Sport (Discipline) Body 49 53 55 59 63 67 71 75 79 83 87 91 95 99 03 07 15 19 23
 
Current winter sports
 
Chess 4 5
Curling 2 2 2 3
Futsal 2
Ice hockey 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
 
Skiing – Alpine 3 4 6 10 8 6 6 6 6 8 8 6 8 8 8 10 10 10 10
Skiing – Snowboarding 6 5 10 10 6
Skiing – Nordic – Cross-country 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 9 8 9 8
 
Discontinued winter sports
 
Skiing – Nordic – Nordic combined 1 1
Skiing – Nordic – Ski jumping 1 1 1
 
Speed skating 3 4 5
 
Demonstration winter sports
 
Curling •
Ice hockey •
 
Skiing – Snowboarding •
 
Speed skating •
 
Total 5 9 11 14 13 11 11 12 12 17 18 18 15 17 23 27 31 36 34

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Constitution". Archived 25 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – News Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  3. ^ What are the Deaflympics?. Disabled World. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  4. ^ a b Future Directions of the Deaflympics Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Historical overview of the Paralympics, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Russia excluded from Deaflympics after plea from Ukraine". www.insidethegames.biz. 12 March 2022.
  7. ^ Winter Olympics: 2011 Winter Deaflympics Cancelled Archived 25 January 2013 at archive.today. Healthyhearing.com (17 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  8. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease Archived 15 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Deaflympics.com (13 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  9. ^ a b ICSD Pursuing Legal Action Following Failure of 17th Winter Deaflympics Archived 24 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Deaf Sports Mag. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  10. ^ Slovakia: Deaflympics 2011 Controversy · Global Voices. Globalvoices.org. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  11. ^ 2011 US Deaflympics – Article | Letter from ICSD to USA athletes Archived 9 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Usdeaflympics.org (17 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  12. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – PressRelease Archived 18 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Deaflympics.com (14 February 2011). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  13. ^ Deaflympics Committee Head Sentenced to Thirteen Years – English News. Webnoviny.sk. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  14. ^ International Committee of Sports for the Deaf – Games. Deaflympics.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  15. ^ "Sofia 2013 22nd Deaflympics Marathon Details". CISS. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  16. ^ "Deaflympics 2021 in Bowling". CISS. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  17. ^ "World Deaf Youth Games 2024". www.ciss.org. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  18. ^ https://www.deaflympics.com/world-deaf-youth-games-in-2024
  19. ^ "Sao Paolo 2024 - World Deaf Youth Games 2024". www.ciss.org. Archived from the original on 16 June 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Deaflympics". deaflympics.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
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