Kazakhstan Sends 79 Athletes to Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics

Kazakhstan is set to make a strong showing at the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan, sending a delegation of 79 athletes to compete across eight sports at the world’s largest event for athletes with hearing impairments.

Tokyo is serving as the venue for the first time in history, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

Around 3,000 athletes from 80 countries are expected to compete across 21 sports, making it the world’s largest sporting event for athletes with hearing impairments.

Kazakhstan’s team will field 79 athletes competing in eight disciplines, including athletics, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, judo, taekwondo, swimming, badminton, and table tennis.

Marat Kaskyrbayev, Head of the Sports Department for Persons with Disabilities at the Committee for Sports and Physical Culture of the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said: “Our athletes are undergoing intensive training ahead of the Deaflympics. A total of 21 training camps across eight sports are planned, 11 of which have already been completed, with the remaining 10 scheduled soon. All athletes have also undergone mandatory medical checks and received essential vitamins. We are confident that this comprehensive preparation will enable them to perform at their best and achieve strong results on the international stage.”

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Deaflympics, first held in Paris in 1924. Since making its debut in 1997, Kazakhstan has secured 42 medals across six Summer and three Winter Games, including 8 gold, 8 silver, and 26 bronze.

At the 24th Summer Deaflympics in 2022 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, the Kazakhstani team achieved its best performance to date, winning 29 medals (4 gold, 7 silver, and 18 bronze) and placing 13th overall among 73 countries.

In other sports news, 11-year-old drone pilot Timofey Muravyov from Karaganda became the first Kazakhstani to reach the podium at the FAI Drone Race World Cup.