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What's Deaflympics?

What's Deaflympics?

The meaning of Deaflympics is "Deaf + Olympics".
The Deaflympics is an international "Olympics for Deaf people."

This is an international multi-sport event for deaf athletes held every four years, organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD).

The first Deaflympics were held in Paris, France in 1924.
The TOKYO 2025 DEAFLYMPICS will be the 100th anniversary commemorative Games and will be held for the first time in Japan.

The Games are characterized by visual information & communication access utilising starting light and flags as well as International Sign.

To participate in the Deaflympics, athletes need to meet the following criteria:
- Athletes must have a minimum hearing loss of at least 55 dB* in their better ear without any hearing aids, etc.
- Athletes must be registered with the National Deaf Sports Federation in each country, and who must meet the requirements for participation, including records and ranking.

  • dB (decibel) is a unit used to measure sound levels, where larger values indicate louder sounds.
  • A hearing loss of 55 dB means that the person cannot hear conversation in a normal voice.
Communication with sign language interpreters
The start is signaled by the lights
The referees use flags as well as whistles

* International Committee for Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) holds all intellectual property rights related to the ICSD logo and the "Deaflympics" in English. Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) manages these in Japan.

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