Financial, social and sporting aspects of deaf sports worldwide

Abstract

There is a dynamic increase in the number of international sports competitions aimed for deaf athletes. More than 50 World and European championships are held every year in various sports disciplines. The participationand number of deaf athletes delegated to these sports competitions depend on the budget available to national sports federations (NSFs) of deaf athletes. Many times, NSFs have been forced to withdraw from participation in a competition owing to lack of financial resources. In numerous countries, NSFs have to conduct online fundraising dedicated to their representatives’ involvement in sports competitions. The authors reviewed the source materials in internet on financing the sport of the hearing impaired. No scientific articles covering the funding aspect of national sports federations in the world were found. The authors relied on financial documents provided by the NSF (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain) and on websites indicated by these federations.The aim of the article was to characterize selected national organizations gathering deaf athletes from Europe, Asia and Oceania, and North America in terms of the budget they had at their disposal in years 2013–2017, the number of athletes associated in the NSF, and the number of Olympic competitors and the country’s medal position during the 2013 and 2017 Deaflympics.An overview of NSF websites with reference to “annual reports”, “financial reports”, “financial statements”, “newsletter”, “national teams of”, “number of athletes of”, demonstrated numerous deficiencies in the transparent presentation of the financial situation of NSFs. The content of NSF activity reports also provides limited information on the number of athletes and clubs associated in these federations. The article constitutes an introduction to a discussion on the financing aspects and development of deaf people’s sport worldwide