Why are deaf or hard of hearing athletes not competing in the Paralympic Games? Understand in three minutes

Thirty-six years before the first modern Paralympic Games were held, in 1960, the “International Silent Games” were held in Paris. It was 1924 and it was the very first international disabled sports competition in history. These unique Games were created by Eugène Rubens-Alcais, a cycling enthusiast who was himself deaf. The Frenchman wanted to create a space for sporting performance for all deaf people, at a time when this community was discriminated against. Eugène Rubens-Alcais has since been nicknamed the “deaf Pierre de Coubertin”.

A century after their creation, the “Silent Games”, now renamed Deaflympics, bring together nearly 3,000 international athletes every four years. The next competition will take place in 2025, in Tokyo.

In this video, we look back at the genesis of these Games and the reasons which led to the refusal to merge, in the 1990s, the Paralympic Games and the Deaflympics.

To learn more about athletes with deafness, below is a profile of Brady Perry, a 24-year-old American sprinter who competes in the Deaflympics.