DEAFLYMPICS AND SUPPORT FOR BRITISH DEAF ATHLETES

Motion Text

That this House welcomes the tremendous success of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; congratulates the athletes of Team GB and Paralympics GB at both games for their impressive success; notes that deaf athletes do not currently compete in either games and instead have the opportunity to compete at the Deaflympics, which is sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee; recognises that the Deaflympics is the second oldest multi-sport and cultural festival in the world, with a proud history stretching back to the first Deaflympic Games in Paris in 1924; further notes the opportunity that the Games present in allowing deaf athletes the chance to participate and enjoy an Olympic experience; further notes the funding difficulties that deaf athletes have in order to compete at their games; and calls on the Government to support and extend to deaf athletes the same opportunities to participate in elite sport as their Olympic and Paralympic colleagues have had.