Category Archives: Deaf Sport

Documentary Film Preview: “Watch Us Roar”

Posted on by
Reply

A new documentary from BSLBT gives a riveting insight into the GB Women’s Deaf Futsal Team’s 2024 Winter Deaflympics journey

Sign Language version of the article

On July 16th, sports enthusiasts and documentary lovers alike will be treated to a compelling new film, “Watch Us Roar.” This 30-minute, BSLBT- commissioned documentary, produced by Flashing Lights and set to broadcast on BSL Zone, delves deep into the world of the Great Britain Women’s Deaf Futsal team as they navigate the intensity and drama of the Winter Deaflympics in Erzurum, Türkiye, held in March this year. With a storyline that intricately weaves through personal and collective challenges, “Watch Us Roar” promises to be an eye-opener on multiple fronts. Indeed, this documentary comes with a trigger warning at the beginning.

The documentary sheds light on the daunting decisions and mounting tensions the team faces, particularly against the backdrop of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) decision to withhold funding for Deaflympic sports. This year, marking the 100th anniversary of the Deaflympic Games, is particularly significant as it was the first time Futsal was included in the competition. The lack of financial support forces both the team management to take calculated risks, and the footballers to divert their focus from crucial preparations to fundraising efforts. This narrative thread underscores the stark realities and emotional toll of competing at such high stakes without adequate support.

One of the central figures in “Watch Us Roar” is Marios Costi, the team’s head coach. The film offers an intimate look at his tactical skills and the emotional depth of his coaching style, which many viewers might find unexpectedly intense by contemporary standards. Costi’s vulnerability and passion are laid bare, presenting a multifaceted view of a coach under pressure. His approach culminates in a dramatic and candid team meeting, where players are invited to express their honest thoughts and feelings, leading to explosive tensions and significant fallouts.

On top of the gripping narrative surrounding the team as a whole, “Watch Us Roar” also delves into the personal journeys of three key players, adding a deeply private dimension to the documentary. By following these athletes closely, the film provides intimate insights into their individual struggles, triumphs, and motivations. This personal focus encourages viewers to connect on a more emotional level with the team, fostering a sense of empathy and support. Through their stories, the audience is invited to not only witness the collective challenges of the team but also to champion the personal adventures of these remarkable women as they strive to achieve their dreams on the world stage.

“Watch Us Roar” does more than just document a sports team’s journey; it provides an unfiltered look into the dynamics of teamwork, the strains of underfunding, and the raw emotions that fuel athletic competition. Deaflympians represent Great Britain at the Winter and Summer Deaflympics under the banner of DeaflympicsGB, authorized by UK Deaf Sport. The documentary is essential viewing for anyone who enjoys sports and is curious about the often-unseen drama of team meetings and behind-the-scenes preparations during major competitions.

Mark your calendars for July 16th – “Watch Us Roar” is a must-watch that will leave you with a profound appreciation for the resilience and spirit of the Great Britain Women’s Deaf Futsal team.

Follow the BSL Zone and get ready for the documentary on 16th July 2024.

Fair Play for Deaflympic Athletes: Post-election Alliance Building and Advocacy

Posted on by
Reply

“Amidst election preparations, the #FairPlayforDeafAthletes campaign highlights the need for equitable funding, showing significant backing from the British Sign Language community.”

Over the past 6 months there has been an online petition to change the UK government policy to fund Deaflympic athletes that garnered 8,333 signatures, which fell short of the 10,000 needed for a government response and the 100,000 required for a parliamentary debate. This petition closed on the 20th May deadline this week.

Let’s consider the merits of this petition using percentages to better illustrate the support within the context of the UK population and the British Sign Language (BSL) community:

UK Deaf Sport’s delegation to the Sports Minister 13th May 2024

 Proportional Representation and Advocacy

1. Population Context:

   – The UK has a population of approximately 60 million people. Within this population, around 175,000 individuals are sign language users ranging from those who use it as their first language and others who have required it by learning the language and being exposed to and involved in Deaf community activities such as Deaf sport. This group includes deaf, hard of hearing and hearing individuals.

   – The 8,333 signatures represent about 0.014% of the total UK population. This may seem like a small percentage, but it’s more significant when viewed within the context of the BSL community.

   – Within the BSL community, 8,333 signatures equate to roughly 4.8%. This demonstrates a strong level of support and engagement from the BSL community itself.

2. Awareness and Mobilization:

   – The campaign successfully mobilized nearly 5% of the BSL community, indicating a high level of concern and commitment to the issue within this group.

   – However, to reach the thresholds set for government responses or parliamentary debates, the campaign needs to extend its reach beyond the immediate community to garner broader public support.

3. Legitimacy of the Petition:

   – Despite not meeting the required thresholds, the petition shows substantial support from a dedicated community, highlighting the legitimacy and urgency of the issue.

– The 10,000 and 100,000 thresholds are 0.0167% and 0.167% respectively of the UK population

– The 8,333 signatures are 4.8% of the UK’s BSL community.

   – This level of support within a specific community suggests the issue deserves attention and should not be dismissed due to the overall percentage being small in the context of the entire UK population.

Map from the petition website showing signatures represented EVERY constituency of the UK except one. The darker shading showing signatures with higher % of each area.

 Implications of the Government Shutdown for the General Election due on 4th July 2024

1. Impact on Current Advocacy:

   – With the government shutdown for the General Election campaign, parliamentary activities will be paused, delaying any immediate action on the petition.

   – This period can be challenging for advocacy efforts as the focus shifts to election campaigns.

2. Strategic Opportunities:

   – The election period presents an opportunity to engage with MPs and candidates, pressing them to include support for Deaflympic funding in their election platforms.

   – This can be a strategic moment to bring the issue to the forefront and secure commitments from candidates.

 Options and Next Steps for #FairPlayforDeafAthletes

1. Lobbying and Advocacy:

   – Engage with political candidates and parties to secure pledges of support for Deaflympic funding.

   – Organize meetings, write letters, and use social media to highlight the importance of this cause during the election period. https://ukdeafsport.org.uk/fairplayfordeafathletes/

2. Public Awareness Campaign:

   – Increase the visibility of the campaign through media outreach, collaborations with other advocacy groups, and public demonstrations.

   – Share personal stories of Deaflympic athletes and the impacts of funding shortages to garner public sympathy and support.

3. Future Petitions and Partnerships:

   – Consider launching another petition after the election, with strategies to surpass the required thresholds.

   – Partner with broader disability and sports organizations to expand the support base and increase reach for future petitions.

4. Direct Engagement with Elected Officials:

   – After the election, engage directly with newly elected MPs to advocate for policy changes and secure their commitment to supporting Deaflympic athletes.

   – Identify supportive MPs who can champion the cause within Parliament and help drive policy changes.

Signing Off

While the petition did not meet the required signatures, it demonstrated strong support within the BSL community, representing nearly 5% of this group.

The upcoming election provides a critical opportunity to push the #FairPlayforDeafAthletes agenda by engaging with candidates and raising public awareness.

By leveraging this period strategically and building broader alliances, the campaign can continue to advocate for equitable funding for Deaflympic athletes.

First Deaf Woman Conquers Everest

Posted on by
Reply

Shayna Unger has become the first profoundly deaf woman to climb Mount Everest.

According to gearjunkie.com Shayna and her climbing partner Scott Lehmann who is also profoundly deaf, peaked the summit at 6 a.m. on May 22, 2023.

Unger and Lehmann have been using their Everest expedition to inspire and educate their deaf students and they have an excellent website. with some amazing video footage of their climbs

The first Deaf person to climb Everest was Japanese Deaflympian Satoshi Tamura an alpine skiier, on May 21, 2016, 7 years ago.

Photo: scottshayna.com

Lehmann and Unger have already climbed Denali, Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc and Aconcagua as an all-Deaf team. They have now completed four of the World’s seven big summits.

Bravo!

ICSD Ask Rukhledev to return his Medal of Honor

Posted on by
Reply

The disgraced former ICSD President Valery Rukhledev as been removed from the list of ICSD Medal of Honor recipients and he has been asked to return the award.

Valery Rukhledev

Rukhledev was the 9th ICSD President form 2013 -2018 despite concerns about his integrity to hold office. The Russian Deaf community had long been dissatisfied with VOG, the All-Russian Society of the Deaf of which he also presided whilst ICSD president.

As we reported here, earlier this month, Rukhledev has been sentenced to seven years on a penal colony for his part in embezzling funds relating to VOG. Because of this, the ICSD Executive has decided to withdraw the medal of Honor that he was awarded in 2017 in recognition of his contributions to international deaf sports. The Executive decided that ‘Mr Rukhledev no longer meets the criteria for this esteemed award.’

ICSD Still Employing Rebrov – People ask ‘What is Going on’?

Posted on by
Reply

The global Deaf community has reacted in frustration to the ICSD handling of further misdemeanours by their Russian-based CEO.

Earlier this month, Deaf sports community watchers were alerted to the fact that the ICSD CEO was endorsing and leading Russia’s plans to hold their own government sponsored, ‘Alternative Summer Deaflympics’ because they, along with Belarus are banned from international competitions due to their stance on the illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Nothing wrong with Russia doing their own thing, they have to to everything they can to keep the Russian population in the dark on what’s happening in Ukraine.

But a news video broadcasted on You Tube by Russian Deaf Television, shows Dmitry Rebrov, the employee of the ICSD and supposed guardian of the Deaflympic brand, endorsing the “Alternative Deaflympic Summer Games” in Ufa, Russia.

video created by Russian Deaf TV

Shocked by this blatant disregard for the integrity of Deaf sport, and a claim that Russia intends to invite other nations to participate, the Deaflympic historian Pinchas, shared the story and video on 3rd March asking what ICSD planned to do about it.

On 21st March, ICSD issued a statement that:

“According to our current information, the sports event is organised by the Government of the Russian Federation and the All-Russian Sports federation of Deaf Sport (OSFSG). The sports organisation is not a member of the ICSD. According to the sports federation, the word “Deaflympics” will not be used officially at the event.

The ICSD will not give any form of permission for the use of the word ‘Deaflympics’ and will closely monitor the organisation of the Russian Summer Games of Deaf Athletes “We are Together” and if necessary, take action and take any necessary steps against any possible unlawful use of the word “Deaflympics”.

The statement finished by explaining their actions towards Rebrov: “Mr. Dmitry Rebrov has agreed to refrain from promoting and organising the Summer Games of Deaf Athletes “We are Together Sport”.

Once again, people are feeling that Rebrov brings the ICSD and the Deaflympics into disrepute, and infuriated Deaf people have commented on this direct to ICSD, that stronger action should be taken by the ICSD Board. Indeed how on earth are they going to ‘closely monitor‘ what’s going on in Russia ?

“Imagine if the well known Deaf sports historian did not post (the story) on social media it would have made things worse for ICSD. Why didn’t the ICSD CEO inform ICSD about the alternative Deaflympics in the first place. It sounds very strange and awkward.” Donal Desmond

“While Russian athletes are banned from competing in most international sport, due to multiple state sponsored doping and their highly illegal invasion of Ukraine, ICSD should not be employing a Russian! He has been guilty of audiogram fraud. This undermines ICSD’s efforts to build a good reputation” John Neilson

Of course, Miguel Alejandro and others are wondering “why all the fuss” when we should be promoting and putting Deaf athletes first. But this is seen as ignorant and the lack of concern for the unprofessionalism and disregard shown by Rebrov continues to go unchecked.

The lukewarm reactions by non-Western nations to Russian doping, audiogram frauds, imposter athletes and ICSDs continuance to employ a Russian to oversee Deaf sport and to appoint Russians as Technical Directors etc reflects the geopolitical attitude towards the West that we see in mainstream society and such sentiments are no different in the global Deaf community. Perhaps that explains why Rebrov still has a job and why, as far as we know, the IOC has not yet restored it’s funding and full support to ICSD.

Former ICSD President Sentenced to 7 years in a Penal Colony

Posted on by
Reply

The court sentenced the ex-head of VOG Rukhledev to 7 years in prison for a multi-million dollar embezzlement

The Khamovniki Court of Moscow today, March 22, 2023, sentenced the former president of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG) Valery Rukhledev to 7 years in a penal colony in the case of multimillion-dollar embezzlement of the organization’s funds.

According to TASS, “the court decided to find Rukhledev guilty and sentence him to 7 years in a penal colony,” the judge announced the decision.

In addition, the court announced the verdict for other defendants. Thus, the former VOG lawyer Yevgeny Novoseltsev was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, and the court appointed Tatyana Zembatova, head of the finance department, 4.5 years in a penal colony.

According to media reports, a criminal case on the theft of more than 300 million roubles in the All-Russian Society of the Deaf was initiated in 2018 under the article fraud on an especially large scale, it was then that the investigation detained Novoselets, who also headed the VOG subsidiary. Later, the then president of the VOG, Rukhledev, Zembatova, and legal assistant Irina Rudenko were detained. The Rudenko case was separated into a separate proceeding and considered in a special order, since she repented and fully admitted her guilt.

Rukhledev was also President of the ICSD (International Deaf Sport for the Deaf) he was elected in 2013 and then removed after he was placed under house arrest in 2018.

Russian Deaflympic Gold medallist sues former ICSD President of Slander

Posted on by
Reply

The legal representatives of the Russian beach Volleyball athlete Rushan Dayanov have filed a lawsuit of slander to protect his honour and dignity against accusations made by Valery Rukhledev in a TV interview that he is in fact hearing and should not be competing in deaf sport.

Extract from Video: Dayanov having an audiometry test (copyright DEAFNET)

We are grateful to readers of our website who have alerted us to this case. The information is available on the Russian website DEAFNET from October 2022. It also has a video of Dayanov as he has a hearing test to prove that his deafness meets ICSD standards of 55dB or more in the better ear.

The story came about after ICSD received an anonymous latter claiming that the athlete has fraudulently won a Beach Volleyball gold medal at the 2005 Deaflympics in Melbourne. Such accusation are very serious for Russian athletes because if they are disqualified, they not only lose their medal but also a pension from the government.

Dayanov and Ivanov at the medal ceremony (copyright DEAFNET)

Dayanov’s team-mate in the Beach Volleyball competition was Stanislav Ivanov the head of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG) which suggests that the letter was actually written by disgruntled former employees at VOG who have a vendetta against Ivanov and that Dayanov has become the scapegoat.

Ruslan Daryakuliev, Dayanov’s Lawyer (copyright DEAFNET)

The lawyer representing Dayanov claim to have irrefutable proof of his hearing loss and in the video, the athlete said “I achieved the championship with sweat and blood, worked hard for 20 years to deserve this prize- not only for myself, but first of all the country. This whole situation was an absolute shockfor me. I have nothing to hide. It hurts that for the sake of petty intrigues, swindlers are ready to break a persons life.”

The lawyer Daryakuliev promises that the response to slander would be ‘extremely harsh’. The defendants in the case are Rukhledev, the All-Russian Television of the Deaf and its editor in chief Alexander Soldatov. Applications have already been prepared to initiate criminal cases under the charge of ‘slander’.

Valery Rukhledev, former ICSD President speaking to All-Russian Deaf TV (copyright DEAFNET)

The video in the article shows Rukhledev talking to All-Russian Deaf TV “Dyanov spoke among the deaf, but in fact he is 100% hearing”. he speaks fluently and does not know sign language. This is already a global scandal.”

This case does raise issues around the proof that athletes require to compete in international deaf sports. In the athlete’s defence it has been explained that he has speech that is almost indistinguishable from that of hearing people because he did not become deaf until he was 10 years old after a serious illness. Comments on the website suggest that it may be very difficult to prove what his hearing was like in 2005, because Dayanov is now 62/63 years of age and likely that he would present such a level of deafness for his age.

The video showing Dayanov’s Deaflympic medals (Copyright DEAFNET)

His last Deaflympic competition was in 2017 when he won a bronze medal in the beach Volleyball.

The lawyer also argues that the Russian Deaflympic committee should not be undertaking disciplinary checks on the basis of an anonymous letter and should have taken measures to protect athletes from anonymous accusations and identifying the authors of such letters.

Russian Deaflympic team with President Putin (copyright DEAFNET)

We have no updates on this case, perhaps our readers will keep us informed?

You can rind the full article on DEAFNET website

ICSD Ignores the ban on Russian and Belarussian officials

Posted on by
Reply

Two Big Ears raises the question about the appointment of a Russian citizen as TD for orienteering

ICSD have just announced the latest list of ICSD Technical Directors for Deaf sports.

We draw your attention to the continued appointment of the TD for Orienteering who is a Russian citizen.

This post is not questioning the competency of the TD themselves, they are capable of their job.

We are questioning the lack of judgement and consistency of ICSD decision making with regards to the ban of Russian and Belarussian athletes and officials from international sport.

We assume that ICSD orienteering is run under the rules of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and according to the IOF website:

“Can a IOF Event Advisor from Russia/Belarus be appointed as an Event Advisor for an event in another Federation?” The answer is “No”.

The role of an ICSD Technical Director operates in the capacity of an ‘Events Advisor’ to the organising committee of the ICSD Deaflympics and World Championships.

We suggest that the ICSD member countries should ask the ICSD Legal Commission to review this appointment and satisfy the international Deaf community that it is operating within the parameters of the international ban and it’s own commitments and obligations to that ban.

Screenshots of the IOF website are available below

Making sure that ICSD is Inclusive

Posted on by
Reply

Two Big Ears responds to a reader comment that the political views of the ICSD leadership might not be inclusive and suggest what needs to happen.

Commenting our our last post (What can Deaf sports expect from the new ICSD Leadership? ) one of our readers was concerned about ICSD not being inclusive enough:

“I am mostly worried about inclusiveness with Kosa at the wheel. Him coming from an extremist right wing party, voting against inclusive policies/laws to promote LGBTQIA+-rights don’t speak for his position as leader, to be honest. Maybe the board of ICSD needs to be as diverse as possible before being able to make any differences in the international Deaf sports atmosphere” Two Big Ears Reader.

There are no subtitles to this video, it is a BSL translation of this post.

This reader’s comment of concern regarding the political affiliations and voting decisions of the ICSD leaders elected to represent deaf athletes is a very important subject. All organisations must decide what and whom they represent and protect. As in the case against Russia and Belarus, not all countries voted to, or agreed with the decision to ban these two nations from international competitions, but the majority have and therefore the motion was passed.

In the case of the recent elections to choose the new leadership of the ICSD, the evidence presented to the floor came from the candidates themselves, through their personal statements and attached letters of support. It was then up to the representatives of each country to decide whether or not they had the full information available to them, if not, they were free to carry out their own due diligence to help them come to a decision. Who knows, perhaps some delegates were already aware of the political affiliations and beliefs of all those elected and then cast their votes accordingly. 

The final point made by our reader highlights the need for greater diversity within the organisation, Congress has elected both men and women into positions of responsibility. Its not perfect, there is always more that could be done to address the balance. From what we already know about the political history of the ICSD and the barriers that limit Deaf people’s access to information and human rights, it would be fair to assume that many decision makers in the various levels and roles within the global ICSD framework do not adhere to nor uphold the concepts of inclusion, equality and diversity.

Let’s hope that those who have been elected remember always that they do not work FOR Kosa they work WITH him as an EQUAL and with all their other Executive colleagues who have been elected. If there are acts of discrimination by anyone affiliated to ICSD (officials, staff, technical directors, coaches and athletes etc) then it is expected that this will be called out for what it is and dealt with appropriately. 

Finally, the responsibility for electing the ICSD leadership is in the hands of those who vote at Congress (the national Deaf sport federation officials). Perhaps after reading this post, you want more information about the elections and how your national representatives voted. If you are a member of their organisations, you have a right to ask questions and be satisfied that Deaf sport leaders, all over the world are all practicing diversity, inclusion and equity in their approach to the development of Deaf sport.

As always, we respond to comments, questions etc from our readers – share your views with us here

Japan Withdraws Its Entire Team from the Summer Deaflympics

Posted on by
1

With five days still remaining at the Summer Deaflympics in Brazil, Japan has decided to ‘abstain from all competitions‘ in order to prevent a spread of Covid-19 infections amongst everyone involved with the games and the local population.

Writing to the ICSD and all its members, the Japanese officials have explained that with their experience of hosting the 2021 Olympics and Paralympics, Japan incurred additional expenses to accommodate all its athletes and officials in single rooms and hired all their own private transport to move from hotels to training and competition venues. Furthermore, each of their sports team were isolated from each other to avoid any potential cross-sport infections.

Despite all these additional precautions, 10 of their athletes and one official are currently self- isolating after producing positive PCR tests. Japan is complaining that countermeasures against Covid-19 at sports venues is inadequate and that the number of Japanese athletes infected and the number of last minute withdrawal of athletes from other countries (for reasons unknown) suggest that there is likely to be a further increase of infection amongst those attending the games. To encourage people to participate, the organisers ensured that PCR checks/tests would be carried out on arrival at the airport to separate and isolate those who were infected, according to Japan, this did not take place.

They have written an official protest letter to ICSD and the host organising committee to complain that:

  1. ICSD and the Organising Committee failed to fulfil their responsibilities to implement Covid-19 measures
  2. ICSD and the Organising Committee did not carry out PCR test on participants
  3. Japan should not be fined for late mass withdrawal from competitions
  4. ICSD shall instruct its members not to discriminate or exclude anyone on the grounds of Covid-19

The final complaint was made because Italy’s volleyball team asked their opponents Japan to prove that their athletes had tested negative for Covid-19 without themselves being subject to the same testing. Italy apologised to Japan when they realised the discriminatory nature of their demands.

Japan concluded that due to ICSD and the organisers not having enough money to provide countermeasures, the games will be remembered as a Games of Fear.

All the above information was obtained from official Japanese letters on 11th May 2022.