New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) India has named a 111-member contingent, comprising 73 athletes and 38 coaches among others, for the upcoming Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan, from November 15 to December 26. This is the biggest ever Indian contingent at the Deaflympics.

The Union Sports Ministry has approved the contingent on a no-cost-to-government basis as India will take part in 11 disciplines – athletics, badminton, golf, judo, karate, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling, and tennis, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) informed in a release on Saturday.

The Deaflympics are conducted by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD). Recognised by the International Olympic Committee, ICSD has been functioning independently since August 1924. ICSD is not involved with the International Paralympic Committee. The Deaflympics, under the patronage of the IOC, are the second-oldest international multi-sporting event in the world.

The ICSD members now include affiliated national sports organisations from 117 different countries. The IOC Executive Board, in its decision of May 16, 2001, renamed the World Games of the Deaf as the Deaflympics, thereby eliminating the contradiction between the title of the Games and their status.

The first Deaflympics, known as the “International Silent Games”, were held in the summer of 1924 in Paris, and later on, these Deaf Games were held every four years with a break during World War II.

From 1924 to the present day, the ICSD has organised 24 Summer and 18 Winter Deaflympics, all of them following a year after the Olympic Games. In addition, every four years, they hold the World Championships and Regional Championships in different sports. At the recent 24th Summer Deaflympics held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, more than 2,400 athletes took part.

India has been participating in the International Deaf Games since 1965. Seven male athletes and five officials took part in India’s maiden appearance in Washington. In 1985, three female athletes took part for the first time. In the last Deaflympics 2021 held in Caxias Do Sul in Brazil, in May 2022, India was represented by 39 male and 26 female athletes. India won a best-ever 16 medals – eight gold, 1 silver, and seven bronze to finish 9th among 77 participating nations.

Overall, India has won 26 gold medals, 9 silver, and 17 bronze. In the last Summer Games in Brazil, India sent 65 athletes to compete in 11 sports.

In badminton, Jerlin Jayaratchagan won three gold medals. Dhanush Srikanth won two gold medals, setting a new world record in the 10m air rifle shooting event with a score of 247.5. And in tennis, Prithvi Sekhar won three medals. In wrestling, Virender Singh secured his fifth consecutive Deaflympics medal, a bronze. Tokyo Olympian golfer Diksha Dagar claimed silver.

India’s previous best came at Sofia 1993 when they bagged seven medals, including five gold and two bronze. India also won seven medals each at Copenhagen 1997 (3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) and at Melbourne 2005 (3 golds, 1 silver, 3 bronze).

–IANS

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