• DISABILITY SPORTS

• Sportsbeat Correspondent 7 months ago

Deaflympics 2025: Why Team Kenya has been resized for Tokyo 2025

Team Kenya officials have confirmed that the country’s delegation to the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo has been reduced from 12 to 5 disciplines due to budget limitations. The Games are set to take place from November 15 to 26.

Speaking at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Team Kenya Chief Executive Officer Duncan Kuria said the decision to drop seven teams was made after consultations with the Ministry of Sports. The remaining teams are athletics, swimming, women’s basketball, men’s handball, and golf.

The disciplines that will miss out on the Games are women’s volleyball, women’s football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, badminton, and bowling. Kuria said it was a painful but necessary decision driven purely by financial constraints.

“Initially, we had a contingent that had 12 disciplines, but after discussions with government officers, we agreed to reduce the number. It was purely a money decision, not because we see any discipline as less important or incapable of winning medals,” Kuria said.

He explained that the team selection was guided by past international experience and performance on the global stage.

“It is one of the hardest jobs, having to disappoint many athletes who have trained for so long preparing for a top championship,” he added.

“We wanted to be represented by athletes who have competed internationally, maybe at the Deaflympics or World Championships, and have shown consistent performance.”

Kuria pointed out that the absence of the African Deaf Championships disadvantaged some teams that lacked exposure to international competition. He mentioned bowling as one of the teams that had shown promise but was dropped due to its limited experience on the world stage.

The women’s football team, which took part in the last Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, in 2022, was also excluded after what Kuria described as a disappointing performance.

“It was not our wish to do away with these teams,” Kuria explained. “I had actually supported the idea of including some of the disciplines that were not there during the last Deaflympic Games in Brazil. I thought it would have been a great opportunity for them to gain experience at that top level.”

Team Kenya Chief de Mission Bernard Banja echoed Kuria’s remarks, saying the country was forced to work with a smaller budget because of other major sporting events happening this year.

“We are working with a lean budget because we have had a series of events like CHAN and the World Cup qualifiers, which also needed government funding,” Banja said. “It was not an easy decision to reduce the number of teams. We discussed it thoroughly and agreed to use criteria that considered international participation and experience.”

Banja said that although the decision affected many athletes, it was made with the best interest of the team and the country in mind. “We cannot compel the government to stretch beyond what is available. It is about managing the little we have to ensure Kenya is still represented strongly in Tokyo,” he added.

Kuria assured that athletes in the dropped teams would be refunded the money they spent on hearing tests, known as audiograms, as part of the selection process.

He also confirmed that Team Kenya will now consist of 177 athletes and officials, who have already begun a residential training camp at Kasarani ahead of the Games. The camp will help the athletes prepare physically and mentally for the global event.

Despite the disappointment among the excluded teams, Kuria expressed optimism that Kenya will still make a strong showing in Tokyo. “We have very talented athletes in the five disciplines, and I am confident they will represent the country well. The spirit of Deaflympics is about inclusion, and even with the challenges, Kenya will compete with pride,” he said.

The 2025 Tokyo Deaflympics will bring together thousands of deaf athletes from around the world to compete in various sports. For Team Kenya, the hope is that the smaller but focused team will deliver results that reflect the resilience and talent of the country’s deaf sports community.