The 2022, 24th Summer Deaflympics, an International multi-sport event, is schedule to take place in Caxias do Sul, Brazil from May 1st to 15th 2022.
Organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), the special event was initially scheduled for December 5th to 21st, 2021 but was later postponed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic that ravaged the entire continent.
Dating back to 1924 in Paris where the first edition was held, the sport has grown extensively and attracted more and more participants with 4,500 deaf athletes and teams from over 100 countries to grace the Quadrennial event.
With a wide range of up to 20 games to be contended for, Kenya is fortunate to be competing in five categories across the competition; Men and Women’s Basketball, Men and Women’s Handball and Women’s football.
At the last edition in Samsun, Turkey in 2017, Kenya was the top-ranked African country — ninth worldwide — courtesy of four gold, four silver and six bronze medal wins.
Gracing the event for the Seventh time since its debut back in 1997 Copenhagen, Denmark, Kenya has managed to garner a total of 42 medals; 14 Gold, 13 Silvers and 15 Bronze.
The Sport has been on the fore front in seeking to dispute many of the misconceptions about deaf community, greatly reducing the notion in many parts of society and around the world.
Organizing the competitions have also become the social context for countries to deliberate about similarities and differences in the general welfare of their deaf community.
Additionally, efforts are continually being made in the battle against biasness. The fight for diversification and breaking-down of the importance of Inclusivity has led to the increase of more nations and individuals joining in the Deaflympic movement.
The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) however, recently adhered to the recommendations placed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with regards to the involvement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a bid to promote peace through sports, the ICSD Executive Board decided that no deaf athletes from Russia will be allowed to participate in international competitions featured in the ICSD calendar until further notice.
President of ICSD Gustavo Perazzolo, further termed the Deaflympic movement as the link between Sports and the deaf community, a banner of diversity and a landmark of equity in all corners of the world.
