Deaf people in the Olympics

A number of deaf people have competed in the modern Olympic Games, with the earliest known being Oskar Wetzell, a Finnish diver who competed in the 1908 Olympics in London.

In some cases, adaptations have been made to accommodate deaf athletes.[1][2]

(There is also a specific event for the deaf, the Deaflympics, organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. This is also held every four years, and some of the people listed in this article will have also competed there).

Summer games

Athletes

The table below shows Deaf athletes known to have competed in the Olympics. All either competed at the Deaflympics, or would have qualified to do so. To qualify for the Deaflympics, "athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55db 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] In the Olympics, there is no restriction on hearing loss or use of hearing aids.

Person (Nation)	Deaflympic Games			Olympic Games
	Games	Sport	Medal	Games	Sport	Medal	Ref
Oskar Wetzell (FIN)				1908 London 1912 Stockholm	Diving		[4]
Carlo Orlandi (ITA)				1928 Amsterdam	Boxing		[5]
Donald Gollan (GBR)				1928 Amsterdam	Rowing		[5]
Ignazio Fabra (ITA)	1961 Helsinki 1965 Washington DC 1969 Belgrade	Wrestling		1952 Helsinki 1956 Melbourne	Wrestling		[6]
Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő (HUN)				1960 Rome 1964 Tokyo 1968 Mexico City 1972 Munich 1976 Montreal	Fencing		[7]
Gerhard Sperling (GER)	1961 Helsinki 1969 Belgrade 1977 Bucharest	Athletics		1964 Tokyo 1968 Mexico City 1972 Munich	Athletics		[8]
Vyacheslav Skomorokhov (URS)	1969 Belgrade 1973 Malmö 1977 Bucharest 1981 Köln	Athletics		1968 Mexico City	Athletics		[9]
Jeffrey Float (USA)	1977 Bucharest	Swimming		1984 Los Angeles	Swimming		[10] [11]
Dean Barton-Smith (AUS)	1985 Los Angeles 1989 Christchurch 1993 Sofia 2005 Melbourne	Athletics		1992 Barcelona	Athletics		[12][13]
Terence Parkin (RSA)	1997 Copenhagen 2001 Rome 2005 Melbourne 2009 Taipei 2013 Sofia	Swimming Cycling		2000 Sydney 2004 Athens	Swimming		[14][15]
Frank Bartolillo (AUS)				2004 Athens	Fencing		[15][16]
Hugo Passos (POR)	1997 Copenhagen 2001 Rome 2005 Melbourne 2009 Taipei	Wrestling		2004 Athens	Wrestling		[15][17]
Tony Ally (GBR)				2004 Athens	Diving		[15]
Tamika Catchings (USA)				2004 Athens 2008 Beijing 2012 London 2016 Rio	Basketball		[18]
Chris Colwill (USA)				2008 Beijing 2012 London	Diving		[19]
David Smith (USA)				2012 London 2016 Rio 2020 Tokyo	Volleyball		[20][21]
Jakub Nosek (CZE)	2009 Taipei 2013 Sofia 2017 Samsun	Athletics		2018 Pyeongchang	Bobsleigh		[22][23]
Diksha Dagar (IND)	2017 Samsun	Golf		2020 Tokyo	Golf		[24][25]

Opening ceremony

Person (Nation)
	Games	Role	References
KAOS Choir (GBR)	2012 London	Performed British National anthem	[26]
Evelyn Glennie (GBR)	2012 London	Lead percussionist	[27]
Mike Hawthorne (GBR)	2012 London	Dancer	[28]

See also

• Deaf people in sports

References

1. Flaherty, Bryan (19 April 2012). "USA Swimming will allow hand signals to accommodate deaf athletes at Olympic Games". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
2. "Deaf olympic swimming hopeful Marcus Titus makes history". healthyhearing.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
3. Historical overview of the Paralympics, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics Archived 2012-10-13 at the Wayback Machine. Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011.
4. "Oskar Wetzell a multi-talented deaf sportsperson". Retrieved 2018-02-10.
5. "Disabled Olympic Participants". Top End Sports. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
6. "Deaflympics". International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
7. "A Guide to Olympic Sports - Fencing". BBC. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
8. "Athletes | Deaflympics". www.deaflympics.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
9. "Deaflympics". International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
10. "Keynote Speaker: Jeff Float". World Class Speakers & Entertainers. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
11. "Jeff Float Deaflympics record". World Class Speakers & Entertainers. Archived from the original on 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
12. "Dean Barton-Smith wins rare Edwin Flack award". Deaf Sports Australia. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
13. "Athlete Information: Dean Barton-Smith". Deaflympics. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
14. "Terence PARKIN". Deaflympics. Archived from the original on 2016-09-18. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
15. "Game Plans for Athletes with Hearing Loss". Dee Naquin Shafer. 2004-10-05. Archived from the original on 2013-08-03. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
16. "Frank Bartolillo-Deaf Australian Fencer To Participate In Olympics". Workersforjesus.com. 1981-12-22. Archived from the original on 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
17. "Athlete Profile: Hugo Miguel Passos". Deaflympics. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
18. "Tamika Catchings: WNBA Superstar; Star to the Indianapolis Community". Mike White. 2007-07-07. Archived from the original on 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
19. "Exclusive: Hearing loss won't hold back U.S. Olympic diver". Jason Owens. 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
20. "United States volleyball David Smith competes with hearing loss". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
21. "David Smith Volleyball". TeamUSA. Archived from the original on August 16, 2014. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
22. "Deaf Czech Bobsledder, Jakub Nosek, at the Pyeongchang 2018 | ICSD". www.deaflympics.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-08. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
23. "Jakub Nosek | Deaflympics". www.deaflympics.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
24. ""Indian amateur golfer Diksha Dagar credits dad for her silver win at Deaflympics"". Hindustan Times. 28 July 2017.
25. "Olympics.com: Diksha Dagar". Archived from the original on August 4, 2021.
26. "The Kaos Signing Choir performs the British national anthem during the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 London Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium". Richard Mackson - USA TODAY Sports. 2012-07-27. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
27. "KAOS Signing Choir and Deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie are highlights from the Opening ceremony". Signing Savvy. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
28. "Olympics opening ceremony is dream come true for deaf Highbury dancer". Islington Gazette.