Deaflympics

The Olympics is a major international event where top athletes from all over the world get together to compete for a common, the gold medal. Being qualified for this tremendous event is already a huge achievement since each athlete is considered the best in his or her country. There is also an Olympic for deaf too, which is known as the Deaflympics. This event is similar to the original Olympics but the main differences are the requirements. To participate in the summer and winter Deaflympics, according to International Committee for Sports of the Deaf, one must be: Deaf, defined as a hearing loss of at least 55 dB per tone average in the better ear (3-tone frequency average at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hertz, ISO 1969 Standard) and a member of an affiliated National Deaf Sports Federation and citizens of that country. There is no general age limit for competitors. However, age restrictions may apply for specific sports or events as stated in the relevant International Sports Federations' regulations. The Deaflympics are more than just the world's second oldest multiple sports games after the Olympics. This event started in 1924 and the first country that hosted this event was France. The games began as a small gathering of 148 athletes from nine European nations competing in the International Silent Games in Paris, France, but now they have grown into a global movement. At that time, societies everywhere viewed Deaf people as intellectually inferior, linguistically impoverished and often treated Deaf people as outcasts. Monsieur Rubens-Alcais envisioned the international sports event as the best answer. Antoine Dresse, a young deaf Belgian, was very influential in helping him accomplish his dream. Since then, twenty one summer games have been held since the initial Paris games with 148 athletes and the first winter games were held in Seefeld, Austria, 1949, with 33 athletes from five countries. No games were held between 1939 and 1949 because of World War II. The next