Postponement of the 2021 Summer Deaflympics

Gustavo talks to people on screen
The interim president of the ICSD, Gustavo Perazzolo, the executive of the ICSD, Dimitri Rebrov, the executive president of the Plural Committee of the Deaflympics, Emir José Alves da Silva, the executive of the Deaflympic Jaqueline Mognaga, participated in the decision announcement meeting. the executive secretary of the Deaflympics, Jussânia Dinani, the communication adviser of the Deaflympics, Alexandre Couto, the president of the Sports Federation of the Deaf of RS, Gustavo Lemos, and the president of the Brazilian Confederation of Deaf Sports, Diana Kyosen.

On 29 January 2021, Plural Committee of the 2021 Summer Deaflympics received the ICSD Letter concerned with the safety and health of deaf athletes, teams, families, organization, volunteers and spectators from all over the world during COVID-19 pandemic.

ICSD suggests to consider postponing the 2021 Summer Deaflympics to 2022. Understanding the reasons and accepting the request of the ICSD, it was decided that the event should take place between the 01 and 15 May 2022 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.

The decision to postpone it is due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As vaccination around the world presents significant differences between one country and another, the measure seeks to guarantee a longer time for the immunization of the world population. It mirrors the need to rank human health and efforts to stop this virus spreading above any other consideration.

Today, the ICSD Executive Board have concluded that the 2021 Summer Deaflympics in Brazil must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2021 but not later than summer 2022, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Deaflympics and the international community.

The ICSD will continue to monitor the official updates of COVID-19 so that the health and safety of everyone continues to be cared for. We believe it is an assertive decision that will bring great benefits in relation to the organization and preparation of deaf athletes.

We hope you all in 2022!