On December 14, the ARSFSD President Dmitry Rebrov visited in St. Petersburg the celebration event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Deaflympic sports in the world, which was held in the Adaptive Sports Centre.

Among the distinguished guests at the event were Evgeny Gagonin, First Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for Physical Culture and Sport, Vladimir Kuznetsov, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Deaf Sports Federation, Vera Kuznetsova, Director of the St. Petersburg Centre for Adaptive Physical Culture and Adaptive Sports, Vladimir Bocharov, Director of the St. Petersburg Theatre for the Deaf, and Anastasia Ivanova, Head of the Abilympics Regional Centre.

During the official part of the event, which aimed to honour veterans of Deaf sports, champions, and prize-winners of Deaflympics, the ARSFSD President presented to the distinguished persons the Honorary Diplomas and Acknowledgements of the Federation, as well as the jubilee medals commemorating the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation. Among those recognized were Evgeny Gagonin, the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Physical Culture and Sport of St. Petersburg, as well as Nina Ivanova and Tatiana Smirnova, the legends of St. Petersburg and Soviet Deaf sports.

The formal proceedings concluded with a concert program featuring performances by young artists fr om the St. Petersburg Theatre of the Deaf, the sign language song studio "Singing Hands", and the Centre of Adaptive Physical Culture and Adaptive Sports. Deaf sport and Deaf culture represent two intertwined worlds that highlight the creativity and talent of Deaf athletes, who are not just champions but also artists inspiring others through their perseverance and skills.

Later, the guests enjoyed a tour of the Centre, wh ere they were shown the state-of-the-art halls and swimming pool, followed by a buffet and tea party to conclude the event.

The list of awarded athletes and veterans of Deaf sports can be found here.

PHOTO and VIDEO REVIEW (from Saint Petersburg Regional Public Organization of People with Disabilities "Sports Federation of Deaf Sports")

Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov, Olga Troinikova

Photo and video: Victoria Voronina, Elena Iakovleva, Daria Fedorova

Translation: Daria Kudelina