Sign the '09 Deaf Olympics petition
The Government has recently pulled all funding out from under GB Deaf Olympic Sport, in order to push more money towards 2012. This means that certain deaf athletes have spent the last three years preparing for the honour of representing Britain on the world stage at the Deaflympics 2009 in Taipei, only to be told they can't go.
Deaf sport is a minority sport in the UK, and you may not have heard of the Deaf Olympics, established in 1924 - but we feel that in the UK deaf athletes do not have equality of opportunity when compared to regular Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
If you feel this is unfair and would like to add your support to the campaign to reinstate funding, please take a moment to sign the petition.
Read more about this matter at Road Cycling UK, The Times and UK Deaf Sport.
Comments
Hello everyone my name is shannon clinkscales and i currently have a cochlear implant because i have lost my hearin.. i just wanted to write a comment and say that i give my upmost respect to all the people who gets to perform in the UK deaf sports.. i have not been able to do alot of sports that i use to play because of my implant and i wish they had something like that down here in south carolina or somewhere near
Posted by: shannon clinkscales | December 20, 2008 03:16 AM
I wouldn't agree they don't get a fair share of opportunity. They refused point blank to get involved in the Paralympics, and many have no qualifications even at base level to qualify for the main Olympics. What they lack is not ability, but coaching, there are next to no deaf coaches to work with them.
Really they cannot raise the deaflympic levels either like that. It would appear to me, that getting involved in either or both of the other Olympics would see that situation improve, because then deaf could use access laws to force communication access in training and find ways to get them included. As the Olympics is all about differing cultures, there is no reason deaf cannot participate in the main event. I don't detect a real will from the deaf to do that.
Posted by: MM | December 21, 2008 01:26 AM