Amputated or paralyzed limbs, neurological disability, blindness... Paralympic athletes each compete with their own particularities, their own impairments. Many disabilities are represented at these Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. But there are no deaf or hard-of-hearing athletes? Why not?
According to a study by theWorld Health Organization, over 5% of the world's population (430 million people) suffer from " incapacitating hearing impairment ". These disabled people include a number of athletes who are able to compete in international events.
However, the deaf and hard-of-hearing have never been admitted to the Paralympic Games. Indeed, this disability is difficult to integrate into current Paralympic competitions. Deafness is considered less of an obstacle to sport than the loss of a limb or blindness.
In an official press release, the International Deaf Sports Committee itself explains this difference: " Deaf people do not consider themselves to be disabled, particularly physically. Rather, we see ourselves as part of a cultural and linguistic minority. (...) The deaf athlete is physically able to compete without significant restrictions, with the exception of communication barriers. In team sports and certain individual events, hearing loss can be a constraint. However, these restrictions disappear at the Deaf Games. The sports and their rules are identical to those for able-bodied athletes. There are no special sports, and the only adaptations are to make auditory signals visible. "
Deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes have created their own Olympics: the Deaflympics. This competition is open only to competitors with a hearing threshold of less than 55 decibels and no hearing aid. This sporting event takes place every four years, and was first held at Paris in 1924, making it older than the Paralympic Games! The next edition is scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, in 2025.
