79 Kazakh athletes to compete at Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics
Japan will host the 25th Summer Deaflympics this year, with Tokyo serving as the venue for the first time in history, Kazinform News Agency reports.
About 3,000 athletes from 80 countries are expected to compete across 21 sports at the world’s largest sporting event for athletes with hearing impairments.
Team Kazakhstan will feature 79 athletes competing in eight events, including athletics, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, judo, taekwondo, swimming, badminton, and table tennis.
“Our athletes are undergoing intensive training ahead of the Deaflympics. A total of 21 training camps across eight sports are planned before the competition, 11 of which have already been completed, with the remaining 10 scheduled soon. All athletes have also undergone mandatory medical checks and received essential vitamins. We are confident that this comprehensive preparation will allow them to reach their full potential and achieve strong results on the international stage,” said Marat Kaskyrbayev, Head of the Sports Department for Persons with Disabilities at the Committee for Sports and Physical Culture of the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Deaflympics. The first Games were held in Paris in 1924. Since making its debut in 1997, Kazakhstan has won a total of 42 medals across six Summer and three Winter Games, including 8 gold, 8 silver, and 26 bronze.
At the 24th Summer Deaflympics in 2022 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, the Kazakhstani team delivered its best performance to date, winning 29 medals (4 gold, 7 silver, and 18 bronze) and placing 13th overall among 73 countries.
As reported earlier, a young drone pilot from Karaganda Timofey Muravyov, 11, has become the first Kazakhstani to claim a podium finish at the FAI Drone Race World Cup.