For the deaf, sport’s biggest event becomes AN OLYMPIC OBSTACLE RACE

It is not easy to find your place at Paris 2024 if you’re a deaf athlete. At the Olympic Games, special adaptations are rarely made for deafness; and for the Paralympics, deafness is not considered a disability and does not fall into any category! But the deaf eventually organised their own competition: the Deaflympics. The issue is not an easy one to understand: there are strict rules for the Olympic Games, and it is possible for a deaf athlete to take part in the Olympics, but in practice it remains complicated, particularly when it comes to hearing the instructions. So few deaf athletes take the plunge, especially as they have their own Deaflympics. It is hard to know how many are taking part; the organisers don’t know much about them because they do not provide any special help for the deaf, and there is no indication that persons might be deaf when they register. They are not distinguished from other athletes and are expected to compete at the same level as...