Deaflympics do you know about it?
It is a coined term combining "Deaf" and "Olympics," where "Deaf" refers to "the inability to hear" in English.
The Deaflympics is an international sports competition for athletes with hearing disabilities organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), held every four years.
The year 2025 will be the Summer Deaflympics year.
This year, for the first time in history, it will be held in Japan, with three athletes from Okayama Prefecture participating.
To raise awareness of the Deaflympics among more people, an event called "Deaflympics Caravan" will be held on August 30 (Saturday) at the Asakuchi City Health and Welfare Center.
What is the "Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics"?
The Deaflympics is an international sports competition for athletes with hearing disabilities (hereinafter referred to as "Deaf athletes"), and it will mark its 25th event in 2025.
The official name of this event is "25th Summer Deaflympics Tokyo 2025" (hereinafter referred to as "Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics").
From November 15 (Saturday) to 26 (Wednesday), 2025, approximately 6,000 officials from 70 to 80 countries and regions will gather for 12 days, and 21 sports will be held.
The vision of the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics is as follows:
- To convey the charm and value of Deaf sports and connect with people and society
- To create an event that connects to the world and the future
- To realize a society of coexistence where "everyone can utilize their individuality and demonstrate their abilities"
Three Deaf athletes from Okayama Prefecture will participate.
- Ryuuichirou Ishimoto……Athletics (400m hurdles)
- Shuusuke Sato……Athletics (high jump)
- Ayaka Komori……Women's soccer
The names of the athletes are in order of the athlete roster.
What is the "Deaflympics Caravan"?
In the Olympics and Paralympics, a torch relay is held before the event, but there is none for the Deaflympics.
Therefore, for this event, a caravan car will start from the venue of the National Deaf Association in Iwate on June 15 (Sunday), 2025, heading towards the host city of Tokyo, with a promotional wrap for the Deaflympics. The caravan car will travel across Japan from the north and south.
The caravan car will run through Okayama Prefecture for six days from August 25 (Monday) to August 31 (Sunday), 2025. It will take over the caravan car from Tottori Prefecture in Nagi Town in the northern part of the prefecture, and on the final day, it will be handed over to Kagawa Prefecture.
Please check the following image for detailed schedule.
Along with the caravan car's tour, Deaflympics-related events are being held nationwide, and Okayama Prefecture will host the "Deaflympics Caravan" on August 30 (Saturday) at the Asakuchi City Health and Welfare Center.
On that day, guests who have experience in past Deaflympics and will be involved in the operation and competition of the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics will appear, and workshops to learn international sign language and Japanese sign language will also be held, making it a highly anticipated event.
For more details, please check the following image.
The Deaf athletes representing Okayama Prefecture will not appear at the event due to training and camp commitments.
Interview with the person in charge of the Deaflympics Caravan
I spoke with Masahiro Nakatsukasa, the Secretary-General of the Okayama Prefecture Association for the Welfare of the Hearing Impaired, about his thoughts on the Deaflympics Caravan.
What is the purpose of planning the Deaflympics Caravan?
Nakatsukasa (no honorifics)
We planned it with the desire to raise awareness of the Deaflympics.
I believe the awareness of the Olympics and Paralympics is nearly 100%. On the other hand, the awareness of the Deaflympics is only 38.4%, which is very low.
The awareness during the Deaflympics in Brazil in 2021 was 16.3%, so with the decision to hold it in Japan, awareness has risen sharply, but it is still not enough.
Three Deaf athletes from Okayama Prefecture will participate in the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, so I hope that as many Okayama residents as possible will learn about the Deaflympics and support it.
What kind of experiences can participants expect on the event day?
Nakatsukasa
In the morning, there will be a sign language talk by former Deaf athletes.
We will invite Kenji Hosokawa, who participated as an athlete in past Deaflympics and will participate as a bowling staff member in the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, and Yukiko Yasuda, who will participate as the women's bowling team coach in this event.
Both are athletes from Okayama Prefecture.
This is a valuable opportunity to learn not only from the perspective of athletes but also about event management and athlete development.
In the afternoon, there will be experiences of international sign language & Japanese sign language.
Since many athletes from overseas will participate in the event, the proceedings will be conducted in international sign language. On the other hand, the communication method for Japanese hearing-impaired individuals is Japanese sign language.
We are preparing to allow participants to experience both.
All programs will have reading interpreters who interpret sign language into spoken language and summary writing that interprets sign language into text, so those who do not understand sign language are also very welcome.
Please make sure to visit all programs and take home an exciting feeling towards the Deaflympics.
What do you want participants to feel?
Nakatsukasa
First of all, my earnest wish is to increase the number of people who "know" about the Deaflympics.
Officials from Asakuchi City, Kasaoka City, and Satosho Town will also participate in this event, and we have distributed event information to elementary and junior high schools in the three cities and towns. I hope families will come and enjoy it together.
And I would be happy if this event sparks interest in the Deaflympics and encourages people to actually go to the venue to cheer.
Please give a message to the readers.
Nakatsukasa
The three athletes representing Okayama are all working hard in practice, saying, "We want to win gold medals!"
Let's all support our local Deaf athletes as we head towards the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, which will be held from November 15 to 26!
Conclusion
As someone with a hearing disability myself, I always look forward to the Deaflympics where my fellow hearing-impaired friends can shine.
In Japan, Deaflympics matches have not yet been broadcast on terrestrial television, and I have only been able to watch them through live streaming on social media, so I am very much looking forward to seeing live matches at the venue in Tokyo this time. Remarkably, all matches are free to enter.
To attend the opening and closing ceremonies, registration is required by August 31, 2025.
I hope that many people who are interested in "What is the Deaflympics?" or who enjoy watching sports, or who want to support Deaf athletes from Okayama Prefecture will participate, making it a day to get excited about the Deaflympics.
Data on the Deaflympics Caravan
| Name | Deaflympics Caravan |
|---|---|
| Date | August 30, 2025 (Saturday) 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM |
| Location | 2244-26 Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation Fee (including tax) | Free admission |
| Homepage | National Caravan Activities |
