A Tribute to Vasyl Sandugei

It is with great sadness that the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) has learnt of the death of Vasyl Sandugei, the former President of Ukrainian Deaf Sport Federation, at the age of 61.

Vasyl Sandugei was born on 21 April 1956 in the Kiev Region in the family of simple hard-working peasants.

He studied at the Kiev boarding school No 9 for the deaf and hard of hearing, which he graduated with honours. He then enrolled the Kiev Technical College of the Light Industry.

In 1987, Vasyl graduated from the Defectology Faculty of the Kiev Pedagogical Institute named A. Gorky.

Vasyl Sandugei founded the Ukrainian Deaf Sports Federation and was its first President from 1992 to 2002. Vasyl had been done a lot to develop and strengthen the organisation.

He was a member of the Executive Committee of the European Deaf Sports Organisation (EDSO) since 1998. The first Vice-President of the National Sports of Disabled People"s Committee of Ukraine since 2000. Until the last day he held the post of Vice President of the EDSO.

In addition to sports activities, Vasyl taught courses in the preparation of sign language interpreters and took an active part in the drafting of the Ukrainian Law on Sign Language.

“The Deaflympics Movement has lost a very forceful supporter”, said ICSD President Dr. Valery Rukhledev.

The ICSD expresses its deepest sympathies to Vasyl Sandugei"s family.