India at the Deaflympics
| India at the Deaflympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IPC code | IND |
| NPC | All India Sports Council of the Deaf |
| Website | www |
| Medals Ranked 23rd |
|
| Summer appearances | |
India first participated at the Deaflympics in 1965.[1] The country won its first Deaflympic medal at the 1981 Summer Deaflympics in Cologne, where Satish Kumar secured a silver medal in the 25 km event and a bronze medal in the 10,000 m athletics event.[2] India later won its first gold medal at the 1989 Summer Deaflympics in badminton, when Sandeep Singh Dhillon secured a gold medal in men’s badminton doubles.[3]
Indian athletes have won a total of 72 medals, all at the Summer Games. India's best performance came at the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, where India won 20 medals, including nine gold and seven silver.[4]
History
India became affiliated with the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf in 1963 through the All India Federation of the Deaf, which was established in 22 December 1955[5]. The All India Sports Council of the Deaf, established in 1965 as the federation’s sports wing, later assumed responsibility for managing India’s participation in the Deaflympics.[5] As of 2024, the AISCD has affiliations with a total of 24 National Sports Federations.[6]
Deaflympic overview
India began participating in the Deaflympics since the 1965 Summer Deaflympics.[1]
1965 Summer Deaflympics
India sent a delegation to compete at the 1965 Summer Deaflympics in Washington, D.C., United States which took place from June 27 to July 3, 1965.The delegation consisted of seven athletes competing in athletics, table tennis and tennis.[7]
1981 Summer Deaflympics
India sent six athletes to compete at the 1981 Summer Deaflympics in Cologne, Germany which took place from July 23 to August 1, 1981.[8] India won its first Deaflympics medals at the Games[9]. Satish Kumar secured a silver medal in the 25 km event and a bronze medal in the 10,000 m athletics event.[2][9]
1989 Summer Deaflympics
India sent ten athletes to compete at the 1989 Summer Deaflympics in Christchurch, New Zealand[8]. India won its first Deaflympics gold medal at the 1989 Summer Deaflympics in Christchurch, New Zealand in badminton. Sandeep Singh Dhillon won gold in the men’s doubles event.[3][10]
1993 Summer Deaflympics
India sent a delegation of 29 athletes to compete at the 1993 Summer Deaflympics in Sofia,Bulgaria. which took place from 24 July 1993 to 2 August 1993. India won seven medals, including five gold and two bronze medals, and finished eighth in the medal table.[11] This was an increase from the three medals won at the 1989 Summer Deaflympics and represented India’s highest medal tally at the event up to that time.[12]
2009 Summer Deaflympics
India sent a delegation of 24 athletes to compete at the 2009 Summer Deaflympics in Taipei,Taiwan , which took place from 5 to 15 September 2009. Virender Singh won India's only medal. He won a bronze medal in wrestling.[13]
2013 Summer Deaflympics
India sent a delegation of 35 athletes to compete at the 2013 Summer Deaflympics in Sofia,Bulgaria, which took place from July 26 to August 4, 2013. Virender Singh won India's only medal. He won a gold medal in wrestling.[13]
2017 Summer Deaflympics
India sent a delegation of 46 athletes to compete at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics in Samsun,Turkey, which took place from July 18 to July 30, 2017. Indian athletes claimed 5 medals in the event including a gold medal and 2 bronze medals.[14] Diksha Dagar claimed a silver medal in the women's individual event in golf ,which made its debut at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics.[15] Prithvi Sekhar and Jafreen Shaik won a bronze medal in Tennis (mixed doubles).[16]
2021 Summer Deaflympics
India achieved one of its best performances at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics held in 2022 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. India won 16 medals including 8 gold medals, and finishing among the top ten countries in the medal table.[18] Jerlin Anika won 3 gold medals, making her the first Indian woman Deaflympian to win multiple medals in one Games.[17][19][20] Diksha Dagar won India's first gold medal in golf.[21] Dhanush Srikanth won gold and Shourya Saini won bronze in Men's 10m air rifle shooting event.[22]
Breakthrough at the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo
India recorded its best-ever performance at the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo. India won 20 medals, including 9 gold and achieved the 6th rank, which is the highest position in the overall medal table.[23]
Loma Swain secured India’s first-ever Deaflympics medal in Karate, winning bronze in the Women's Kumite 50kg[24]. Diksha Dagar successfully defended her gold Medal by winning the event by a record-breaking 14-stroke margin.[21]
India’s dominance in shooting at the 2025 Deaflympics
At the 2025 Summer Deaflympics held in Tokyo, shooting turned out to be the most successful sport for the Indian contingent during the Deaflympic Games.[25]
Indian shooters won 16 medals ,including 7 gold , 6 silver , and 3 bronze medals. This was the highest number of medals won by India in any single sport at the competition.[25][26]
Mahit Sandhu was India's most successful shooter with 4 medals (2 gold, 2 silver), including Gold in the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions and Mixed 10m Air Rifle Team.[27][28][29][30] Dhanush Srikanth won gold in the Men's 10m Air Rifle with a Deaf Final World Record (252.2) and gold in the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Team.[31][32] Abhinav Deshwal secured 3 medals (2 gold, 1 silver), winning gold in the Men's 25m Pistol and Mixed 10m Air Pistol Team.[33][34] Pranjali Dhumal clinched 3 medals (2 gold, 1 silver), winning Gold in the Women's 25m Pistol.[35][1] Anuya Prasad won gold in the Women's 10m Air Pistol with a World Record Deaflympic score.[36][37] Mohammed Murtaza Vania won silver in the 10m Air Rifle (Men) and a bronze in the 10m Air Rifle Team (Mixed).[38][39][40] Kushagra Singh Rajawat won bronze at the 50m Rifle Prone (Men) .[40][41]
Medal count
India has won a total of 72 medals at the Summer Deaflympics since its debut in 1965.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 Paris | Did not participate | |||||
| 1928 Amsterdam | ||||||
| 1931 Nuremberg | ||||||
| 1935 London | ||||||
| 1939 Stockholm | ||||||
| 1949 Copenhagen | ||||||
| 1953 Brussels | ||||||
| 1957 Milan | ||||||
| 1961 Helsinki | ||||||
| 1965 Washington DC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1969 Belgrade | Did not participate | |||||
| 1973 Malmö | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1977 Bucharest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [42] |
| 1981 Cologne | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 21st | [9] |
| 1985 Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21st | [43] |
| 1989 Christchurch | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | [3] | |
| 1993 Sofia | 5 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8th | [12] |
| 1997 Copenhagen | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 15th | [11] |
| 2001 Rome | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15th | [44] |
| 2005 Melbourne | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | [11][45] | |
| 2009 Taipei | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [13] | |
| 2013 Sofia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | [13] | |
| 2017 Samsun | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 26th | [14] |
| 2021 Caxias do Sul | 8 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 9th | [46] |
| 2025 Tokyo | 9 | 7 | 4 | 20 | 6th | [4] |
Total athletes
| Host city | Male | Female | Total | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 Washington DC | 7 | 0 | 7 | [7] |
| 1969 Belgrade | Did not participate | |||
| 1973 Malmö | 8 | 0 | 8 | [8] |
| 1977 Bucharest | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 1981 Cologne | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| 1985 Los Angeles | 10 | 3 | 13 | |
| 1989 Christchurch | 10 | 0 | 10 | |
| 1993 Sofia | 24 | 5 | 29 | |
| 1997 Copenhagen | 18 | 2 | 20 | |
| 2001 Rome | 4 | 5 | 9 | |
| 2005 Melbourne | 26 | 17 | 43 | |
| 2009 Taipei | 19 | 5 | 24 | |
| 2013 Sofia | 20 | 15 | 35 | |
| 2017 Samsun | 27 | 19 | 46 | [47] |
| 2021 Caxias do Sul | 38 | 26 | 64 | [8] |
| 2025 Tokyo | 45 | 28 | 73 | [4][48] |
Milestones
| Milestones | Medalist | Games | Sport | Medals | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Medalist | Satish Kumar | 1981 Cologne |  Athletics |
 Silver |
[2] |
| First individual medalist | |||||
| First Gold medalist | Sandeep Singh Dhillon | 1989 Christchurch |  Badminton |
 Gold |
[3] |
| First individual gold medalist | |||||
| First woman Medalist | Sonu Anand Sharma | 1997 Copenhagen | Badminton |
Gold |
[49] |
| First multi-medalist | Virender Singh | 2005 Melbourne |  Wrestling |
Gold |
[50][51] |
| 2009 Taipei |  Bronze | ||||
| 2013 Sofia | Gold | ||||
| 2017 Samsun | Gold | ||||
| 2021 Caxias do Sul | Bronze | ||||
| First woman multi-medalist | Diksha Dagar | 2017 Samsun |  Golf |
Silver |
[52][15] |
| 2021 Caxias do Sul | Gold |
[53] | |||
| First multi-medalist in a single Deaflympics | Jerlin Anika | 2021 Caxias do Sul | Badminton |
Gold |
[54][17] |
Medals by sport
| Sport | Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badminton |
17 | 2 | 5 | 24 |
 Shooting |
10 | 6 | 5 | 21 |
| Wrestling |
5 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Golf |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Athletics |
1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
 Tennis |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 Table tennis |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Karate |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Tribune, The Assam (2025-11-24). "Pranjali Prashant Dhumal wins 25m pistol gold at Deaflympics". assamtribune.com. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- 1 2 3 "Satish KUMAR". www.deaflympics.com. Archived from the original on 2025-11-09. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- 1 2 3 4 "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Sport". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 3 Guntha, Bavana (2025-11-27). "India's Deaflympians clinch record 20 medals in Tokyo". The Morning Voice. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 "Who we are – All India Federation of the Deaf". Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Affiliations of AISCD with National Sports Federations" (PDF).
- 1 2 Upadhyay, Pragati (2025-11-08). "India Sends Record 111-Member Squad To Deaflympics 2025 In Tokyo". Bharat Express. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 3 4 "Athlete count of India during the Deaflympics". www.deaflympics.com. Archived from the original on 2025-11-11. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- 1 2 3 Intern (2022-08-27). "Disability Sports in India-Inclusion and Adaption of the Differently Abled ‣ The International Prism". Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ WSN (2022-01-28). "SPORTS RAJ SINGH — Sports Editor: The Silent Victory". SIKH HERITAGE EDUCATION. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 3 4 "India announces 111-member contingent for Deaflympics 2025". news.webindia123.com. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 "India name record 111 member contingent for Deaflympics 2025 in Tokyo" (PDF). sportsauthorityofindia.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Sengupta, Rudraneil (2013-08-12). "Virender Singh | Gold, naturally". mint. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 Staff, Scroll (2017-07-27). "Deaflympics 2017: India bag gold, silver and two bronze medals in Turkey". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 "Indian amateur golfer Diksha Dagar credits dad for her silver win at Deaflympics". Hindustan Times. 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ Aranha, Jovita. "Athletes Who Won 5 Medals at the Summer Deaflympics in Turkey". thebetterindia.com. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- 1 2 3 "17-year-old shuttler who won three gold medals at Deaflympics felicitated". Hindustan Times. 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "India's medal tally in 2025". olympics.com.
- ↑ "India At Tokyo Deaflympics: Shuttler Jerlin Jayaratchagan Named Flagbearer | Outlook India". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Deaflympics 2025: Shuttler Jerlin Jayaratchagan to be Indias flag bearer in Tokyo". The Tribune. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 "Indian Golfer Diksha Dagar Wins Deaflympics Gold". NDTV Sports. Archived from the original on 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Dhanush Srikanth wins gold, Shourya Saini bags bronze at Deaflympics | More sports News - Times of India". The Times of India. PTI. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
- ↑ Team, A. C. (2025-11-27). "Overview of 25th Summer Deaflympics 2025 held in Tokyo, Japan". Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ Mishra, Suranjan. "Odisha village welcomes its champion as para-athlete Loma Swain brings glory to India". odishatv.in. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- 1 2 "India shines at Deaflympics: Abhinav–Pranjali strike gold, Kushagra adds bronze". @onmanorama. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ PTI (2025-11-25). "India end Deaflympics shooting campaign with 16 medals; Sapkal finishes sixth". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Fazilka's Mahit Sandhu shatters record, wins Deaflympics gold". The Times of India. 2025-11-25. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ Naveen (2025-11-22). "Mahit Sandhu Wins Gold in 50m Rifle 3P at Deaflympics". NewKerala.com. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Shooter Mahit Sandhu bags gold in 50m rifle 3 positions; clinches fourth medal". Mid-day. 2025-11-23. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Indian shooter Mahit Sandhu clinches Gold in 50m Rifle 3 Positions, Crowning a Spectacular 4-medal Run at Deaflympics 2025 - The Logical Indian". 2025-11-22. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Tokyo Deaflympics: Dhanush Srikanth sets world record in shooting as India open medal tally". The Times of India. 2025-11-16. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ "Dhanush Srikanth wins India's first gold at Deaflympics Tokyo with new world record". @mathrubhumi. 2025-11-16. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ PTI (2025-11-23). "Abhinav Deshwal wins 25m pistol gold at Deaflympics". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ "New world record! Abhinav Deshwal scripts history after winning Deaflympics Gold in 25m pistol". The Times of India. 2025-11-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ PTI (2025-11-24). "Pranjali Prashant Dhumal wins 25m pistol gold in Deaflympics". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ "Jaipur's Anuya wins air pistol gold in World Deaf C'ship". The Times of India. 2024-09-03. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ Today, Telangana (2025-11-17). "Anuya Prasad wins gold, Pranjali silver as India shine in Deaflympics shooting". Telangana Today. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ↑ "Results - Shooting 10m Air Rifle Team (Mixed)". ciss.org.
- ↑ "Dhanush wins air rifle gold, Murtaza settles for silver in Deaflympics". business-standard.com.
- 1 2 Today, Telangana (2025-11-25). "Mahit Sandhu leads India's medal rush in shooting at Deaflympics". Telangana Today. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Manipal University Jaipur celebrates global sporting triumph as shooter Kushagra Singh Rajawat wins bronze medal at Deaflympics 2025 in Tokyo". The Times of India. 2025-11-29. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "13th Deaflympics in Bucharest 1977 | Deaf Sport". deafsport.be. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Welcome to All India Sports of the Deaf". aiscd.org. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ↑ "Rome 2001". deaflympics.com.
- 1 2 "Virender Singh wins gold at Deaflympics". im.rediff.com. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Deaflympics 2021: India finishes 9th in standings with best ever show — Medal Tally, Total Medals, Standings". thebridge.in.
- ↑ archive, From our online (2017-08-01). "Upset with government, Indian Deaflympics team refuse to leave airport". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ Service, Statesman News (2025-11-27). "PM Modi lauds India's historic triumph at Tokyo Deaflympics 2025". The Statesman. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ admin_newzhook (2019-04-02). "Sonu Anand Sharma, 1st deaf women to win Delhi government's Nari Shakti Award, has proven everyone wrong". Newz Hook | Disability News - Changing Attitudes towards Disability. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Wrestler Virender Singh laments not winning Khel Ratna: 'My crime is being a deaf athlete'". India Today.
- ↑ "Virender Singh only medallist for India at Sofia Deaflympics". The Times of India. 2013-08-06. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Amateur golfer Diksha wins silver at Deaflympics". The Times of India. 2017-07-26. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Diksha Dagar Claims Gold Medal At Deaflympics | Golf News". NDTVSports.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
- ↑ "Deaflympics in Brazil: TN's Jerlin Anika part of badminton team that won gold". The Times of India. 2022-05-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-03-06.