Great Britian Deaf Tennis team fly the flag in Tokyo

The Deaflympics, originally known as the International Silent Games, were first held in Paris in 1924 and were the brainchild of Eugène Rubens-Alcais.

At a time when deaf individuals were often marginalised, the Games helped to showcase athletic prowess and challenge societal prejudices, with this year’s edition in Tokyo following those proud traditions, as the 100th anniversary of the Deaflympics was marked.

The Deaflympics and deaf tennis have played a crucial role for a century in promoting social inclusion and reducing misconceptions about deaf individuals, while the Games have provided a platform for athletes to demonstrate their capabilities and helped to foster a sense of community and solidarity among deaf people worldwide.

The GB Deaf Tennis team is the only British team to receive funding from their national governing body. The LTA supports a GB National Squad and Development Squad, supporting players to compete in international events like the Deaflympics, European and World Deaf Tennis Championships.

This year’s event showcased some great tennis from a strong British team that fought hard to get in the medal hunt, with the experienced duo of Esah Hayat and Lewis Fletcher reaching the semi-finals of the men’s doubles, before missing out in a bronze medal match against Urs Breitenberger and Cedric Kaufmann, the No.1 seeds from Germany.

Hayat was competing in his second Deaflympics after he made his debut in Samsun, Turkey, in 2017 and he headed to Tokyo after some impressive performances saw him secure the title in the LTA’s Deaf Tennis National Finals last September.

His hopes of repeating his singles success in the Deaflympics were halted by ninth seed Mario Kargl, who went on to claim a bronze medal for Austria. 

The highly experienced Peter Willcox, a multiple National champion, was also in Tokyo as he competed in his third Deaflympics after previous appearances in Melbourne in 2005 and in the Games in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2013.

Willcox made it through to the last 16 of the men’s singles, but he was halted by the impressive Slovenian Marino Kegl, who went on to reach the semi-finals.

There was disappointment for Willcox and Charlie Denton as they lost in the first round of the doubles competition, while Denton gained from the experience of competing in his first Deaflympics as he reached the second round of the consolation Singles.

Sophie Hall, LTA Competitions Support Manager, travelled with the team to Tokyo and reflected on some exceptional performances, “I’m incredibly proud of the team’s success at the Deaflympics. The performances from all players within the team showed the commitment, hard work and dedication that they’ve put into the year leading into this event. 

“Esah and Lewis’ achievement to reach the semi-finals in the men’s doubles is hugely impressive, particularly in such a strong field of players. 

“It was an honour to be a part of the GB delegation, especially as we marked the 100th anniversary of the event. The incredible standard of Deaf athletes on a worldwide stage continues to impress me, and I hope young athletes who have followed the event feel inspired that this too could be like them in four years’ time. 

“A huge thank you to the support to the team at UK Deaf Sport, who continuously supported our athletes throughout the duration of the event to ensure they were in the best possible condition to compete to their highest level.”

Now the countdown is on to the next Deaflympics and it has been announced that the host city for the Summer Games in 2029 will be Athens, Greece.