Deaflympics

Sport has a long history in the Deaf Community for two reasons, for competitions and social networking. There are deaf sports at local, state and national levels and even international levels of deaf sporting competition and participation.

Here in Australia, Deaf Sports Australia are responsible for the Australian Deaf Games, a national competition for states to compete against each other. In Western Australia, the WA Deaf Recreation Association is responsible for sending state teams to the Australian Deaf Games.

Internationally, the Summer Deaflympics have been occurring every four years since 1924. Formerly known as the World Games for the Deaf, the Deaflympics added Winter Deaflympics in 1949. As of 2021, there is no WA representative in the Australian Team to the Winter Deaflympics.

The most successful West Australians at any Deaflympics up to 2021 are Helen Jarratt, Deanne Malden and Dina Maley who won Bronze medals in Women's basketball in the 1985 Deaflympics in Los Angeles. Their team trained at the Australian Institute of Sports in Canberra before departing for Los Angeles.

Six countries participated in the Women's basketball and Australia reached the finals.

Upon returning home, the women's team also won the 1985 Team of the Year awarded by the Confederation of Australian Sports.

Finals: USA beat AUS - 115 to 23, SWE beat AUS - 57 to 48

Gold: UNITED STATES, Silver: SWEDEN, Bronze: AUSTRALIA, 4th: FRANCE, 5th: VENEZUELA, 6th: CANADA

Danielle Shaw was selected as a torchbearer for the Melbourne 2005 Deaflympics representing Western Australia. She has contributed significantly to Deaf sports as an athlete, volunteer and supporter. Over the years she has been an avid ten pin bowler and has competed at international levels winning the World Deaf Ten Pin Bowling championships twice. She has represented Australia at the 2001 and 2005 Deaflympics as an athlete in the Ten Pin Bowling.

West Australians at the Deaflympics

  • Geoffery Scott - Swimming Bucharest 1977, Koln 1981 Los Angeles 1985, Water Polo Melbourne 2005

  • Deanne Malden - Basketball Los Angeles 1985

  • Helen Jarratt - Basketball Los Angeles 1985

  • Dina Maley - Basketball Los Angeles 1985, Christchurch 1989

  • Robert Holthouse - Shooting Christchurch 1989

  • Carole Noonan - Table Tennis Christchurch 1989

  • Georgina Hook - Swimming Christchurch 1989

  • Chris Levitzke-Gray - Basketball Christchurch 1989

  • Allan Gear - Basketball Christchurch 1989

  • Gary Ware - Basketball Christchurch 1989 and Water Polo Melbourne 2005

  • Melissa Bryson - Basketball Christchurch 1989 and Melbourne 2005

  • Nathan Cleland - Water Polo Melbourne 2005

  • Lisa Westwood - Basketball Melbourne 2005

  • Nicole Humble - Soccer Melbourne 2005

  • Danielle Shaw - Ten Pin Bowling Rome 2001, Melbourne 2005

  • Glen Findell - Tennis Melbourne 2005, Taipei 2009 and Sofia 2013

  • Scott Uttley - Basketball Sofia 2013