What is Deaf Volleyball?

Volleyball for the hearing impaired varies only in minor ways from the generic form of the sport. In formal competition it caters for individuals who have a minimum hearing loss of 55 dB in the better ear.

How does it differ from the generic game?

The most predominant difference from the generic form of volleyball is that a red flag is used for signalling in place of the commonly used whistle.

FIVB rules apply (as per Olympic Games) and a red flag is used for signalling instead of a whistle.

In formal competitions individuals must be affiliated with a national association and be recognised as having a minimum hearing loss of 55 dB in the better ear. Classification procedures apply and can be viewed on the CISS website. However, in social competitions any individual can participate if they suffer from hearing impairment and classification will vary between social competitions.

In Australia, a person may compete in Deaf Sports if they are identified as Deaf in any way.

‘Deaf Sports Australia has an ‘inclusive’ policy, for example, persons with any degree of hearing loss are eligible for membership. It might be noted that for international events sanctioned under the Committé International des Sports des Sourds (CISS),including the Deaflympics Games, deaf athletes need to meet the CISS hearing criteria. This ruling requires a hearing loss of at least 55db in the better ear (three tone frequency average of 500, 1000 and 2000 hertz)”. Classification procedures and criteria are described on the CISS web site at http://www.ciss.org. Click on “about,” then “regulations,” then scroll down to Article 1.3 on eligibility.

Please note that these are basic examples only. Actual classification processes and guidelines are highly complex and are not easily summarized.

The first international games for the deaf was founded in 1924 as a stand-alone event, making it the second oldest event organized in the Olympic Movement spirit. The original name of the competition was the “International Silent Games” and later the “World Games for the Deaf”.

In 2001, the International Olympic Committee granted ICSD permission to identify its quadrennial games as Summer Deaflympics and Winter Deaflympics.

Development

During the Deaflympics, deaf athletes compete against and interact with each other in sign language. Sign language interpreters are utilized when hearing people are involved.

The 1995 ICSD Congress voted unanimously to disaffiliate from the IPC, as the deaf international community felt it was in its best interests to retain autonomous control and management.