# Deaf people in the Olympics

A number of deaf people have competed in the modern Olympic Games, with the earliest known being Oskar Wetzell, a Finnish diver who competed in the 1908 Olympics in London.
In some cases, adaptations have been made to accommodate deaf athletes.
(There is also a specific event for the deaf, the Deaflympics, organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. This is also held every four years, and some of the people listed in this article will have also competed there).

## Summer games
### Athletes

The table below shows Deaf athletes known to have competed in the Olympics. All either competed at the Deaflympics, or would have qualified to do so. To qualify for the Deaflympics, "athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55db in their 'better ear'. Hearing aids, cochlear implants and the like are not allowed to be used in competition, to place all athletes on the same level" In the Olympics, there is no restriction on hearing loss or use of hearing aids.
| Person (Nation) | Deaflympic Games | Deaflympic Games | Deaflympic Games | Olympic Games | Olympic Games | Olympic Games | |
| Person (Nation) | Games | Sport | Medal | Games | Sport | Medal | Ref |
| Oskar Wetzell (FIN) | | | | 1908 London 1912 Stockholm | Diving | | |
| Carlo Orlandi (ITA) | | | | 1928 Amsterdam | Boxing | | |
| Donald Gollan (GBR) | | | | 1928 Amsterdam | Rowing | | |
| Ignazio Fabra (ITA) | 1961 Helsinki 1965 Washington DC 1969 Belgrade | Wrestling | | 1952 Helsinki 1956 Melbourne | Wrestling | | |
| Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő (HUN) | | | | 1960 Rome 1964 Tokyo 1968 Mexico City 1972 Munich 1976 Montreal | Fencing | | |
| Gerhard Sperling (GER) | 1961 Helsinki 1969 Belgrade 1977 Bucharest | Athletics | | 1964 Tokyo 1968 Mexico City 1972 Munich | Athletics | | |
| Vyacheslav Skomorokhov (URS) | 1969 Belgrade 1973 Malmö 1977 Bucharest 1981 Köln | Athletics | | 1968 Mexico City | Athletics | | |
| Jeffrey Float (USA) | 1977 Bucharest | Swimming | | 1984 Los Angeles | Swimming | | [10] [11] |
| Dean Barton-Smith (AUS) | 1985 Los Angeles 1989 Christchurch 1993 Sofia 2005 Melbourne | Athletics | | 1992 Barcelona | Athletics | | |
| Terence Parkin (RSA) | 1997 Copenhagen 2001 Rome 2005 Melbourne 2009 Taipei 2013 Sofia | Swimming Cycling | | 2000 Sydney 2004 Athens | Swimming | | |
| Frank Bartolillo (AUS) | | | | 2004 Athens | Fencing | | |
| Hugo Passos (POR) | 1997 Copenhagen 2001 Rome 2005 Melbourne 2009 Taipei | Wrestling | | 2004 Athens | Wrestling | | |
| Tony Ally (GBR) | | | | 2004 Athens | Diving | | |
| Tamika Catchings (USA) | | | | 2004 Athens 2008 Beijing 2012 London 2016 Rio | Basketball | | |
| Chris Colwill (USA) | | | | 2008 Beijing 2012 London | Diving | | |
| David Smith (USA) | | | | 2012 London 2016 Rio 2020 Tokyo | Volleyball | | |
| Jakub Nosek (CZE) | 2009 Taipei 2013 Sofia 2017 Samsun | Athletics | | 2018 Pyeongchang | Bobsleigh | | |
| Diksha Dagar (IND) | 2017 Samsun | Golf | | 2020 Tokyo | Golf | | |

### Opening ceremony

| Person (Nation) |
| Person (Nation) | Games | Role | References |
| KAOS Choir (GBR) | 2012 London | Performed British National anthem | |
| Evelyn Glennie (GBR) | 2012 London | Lead percussionist | |
| Mike Hawthorne (GBR) | 2012 London | Dancer | |