The Deaflympics are here — and the world is making noise in short, unexpected bursts.

Every day at 0900 JST we will make a round up of the previous days media coverage.

Day 0 gave us warm send-offs, big squads and small victories in visibility.
Olympics.com lit the match with a 111-strong team and one of the best flagbearer stories you’ll read this year. South Africa rolled out its Deaflympic history like a flex. Japan finally joined the conversation, proudly talking Deaf culture, sign language and tech that lets you see sound. Taiwan kept it sweet and simple with one perfect airport selfie.

Day 1 hit a different gear.
The Japan Times stepped up with a thoughtful, detailed feature that actually treated Deaf athletes like elite competitors, not curiosities. The World spotlighted the Deaflympics turning 100 — a message so obvious you wonder why broadcasters keep ignoring it. And then, at last, a shift: Yahoo Sports published a “how to watch” guide for free live streams. Not a TV revolution, but it’s a start.

Across two days, one thing is crystal clear:
The written coverage is showing up. The broadcasters? Still stretching in the warm-up area.

But the athletes are already on the track. And they’re not waiting.

Combined takeaway

Two days in, the Deaflympics are shining loudest in written media.
The athletes are visible. The culture is visible.
Sign language is visible.
The broadcasters, though? Still playing hide-and-seek.

But the flame is lit — and the story is beginning to grow, we have read that NHK will broadcast the Opening and Closing ceremonies live, so we will report on that claim tomorrow.

Previous Mainstream Media Coverage This Week

In a brief yet significant segment, BBC Breakfast showcased members of the UK Deaflympics team ahead of their departure to Tokyo, highlighting the athletes’ rigorous preparation and the historic nature of this year’s Games. The piece emphasised the pride of representing Deaf sport on the world stage and touched on the broader issues of visibility and recognition for Deaf athletes — though the focus remained largely on inspirational narrative rather than deeper media-rights or coverage-strategy questions.

And an earlier but still recent piece from the UK parliament’s Culture, Media & Sport Committee outlining that MPs have written to broadcasters over the absence of planned coverage for the Deaflympics.

You Can Help!

Do you know of any other mainstream media coverage of the Deaflympics 2025 – send us a link with the reply button