Wojciech Stempurski¹⁾ – info@pzsn.pl
Jarosław Janiec¹⁾
Adam Szulc ²⁾ – aszul@ukw.edu.pl

1. Polish Deaf Sport Association, Lublin, Poland
2. Faculty of Health Sciences and Physical Education, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland

The first club for deaf people in Poland was established in 1922 at the Institute of the Deaf and Blind in Warsaw.
In 1924, Polish deaf athletes participated in the first Deaflympic Games in Paris, where they won a silver medal in the 4 x 400 m relay.
After the Deaflympic Games, the founding congress of the International Committee for Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), of which Poles were co-founders, was held.
In 1927, the Polish Deaf Sports Association (PDSA) was established in Warsaw, representing the interests of Deaf athletes in Poland and abroad.
There are 30 sports clubs for the Deaf throughout Poland, with 1,579 registered players. 95 trainers/instructors are employed or do voluntary work in the clubs.
The Polish Deaf Sports Association has Polish representations in 19 sports disciplines: cross-country running, bowling, curling, futsal, judo, road cycling, mountain biking, basketball, 3 x 3 basketball, athletics, alpine skiing, football, volleyball, beach volleyball, swimming, chess and checkers, table tennis, tennis, sailing.
The Polish national team in 19 sports disciplines consists of approximately 390 women and men, with approximately 40-60 people taking part in competitions in at least two different sports disciplines.
Financial support for organizing preparations for the winter and summer Deaf Games from the Fund for the Development of Physical Culture (FRKF) and the state budget in 2022 was 12 842 718 PLN.
In the years 1924-2024, Polish athletes took part in the Summer Deaflympic Games 837 times (some competitors several times). They won a total of 208 Deaflympic medals (47 gold, 79 silver, 82 bronze). Polish athletes participated in the Winter Deaflympic Games, too. They winning 11 medals (5 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze).

The scholarship system in Poland for the best Deaf athletes and their coaches

Sports scholarships, in accordance with the regulation of the Minister of Sport and Tourism of October 15, 2012 on sports scholarships for members of the national team:

1. a member of the national team, if he took places from 1 to 8 in the deaf games: 1st place, is entitled to a scholarship up to 5.50 times the base amount (base: PLN 2,300),
2. If he took places from 1 to 8 in the European Championships in the senior category: 1st place - up to 2.00 times the base amount,
3. Scholarships are also awarded to: youth players for taking places 1 to 6 and juniors for taking places 1 to 3 during the European and World Championships of the Deaf.
4. One-off cash prizes for coaches in the amount of up to 8 times the base amount (PLN 2,300) for the sports successes of competitors during: the Deaf Games, the European and World Deaf Championships - seniors, youth players, juniors.

Main problems of Deaf sport in Poland

1. Lack of sponsors and lack of own financial resources necessary to finance the own contribution of Ministries' Grants, e.g. for promotion, additional sports camps,
2. Lack of financial resources for the activities of sports clubs for the Deaf,
3. Lack of public knowledge about Deaf sports,
4. Decreasing number of schools for deaf children and youth,
5. A large number of students with hearing aids and implants attending public schools,
6. Students with hearing aids and hearing implants do not identify with the Deaf community and therefore they do not participate in Deaf sports,
7. Sports clubs for the hearing are reluctant to accept deaf athletes due to communication problems.

Cooperation with the scientific community in Poland

Since 2015, the Polish Deaf Sport Association has been cooperating with the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz.

The results of this cooperation are:

1. regular testing of the level of motor skills of players before sports competitions,
2. substantive support in the development of Deaf sports in Poland, e.g. Strategy for the Development of Deaf Sports in Poland 2021-2025
3. scientific and historical publications about Deaf sport, e.g.:

Summary

Deaf sport in Poland requires:

1. media promotion,
2. the Polish Deaf Sports Association needs new talented athletes with hearing-impaired who train in clubs for hearing people,
3. informing the public about Deaf sports,
4. Deaf sports needs additional financial resources that will allow for individualized sports training of the best deaf athletes,
5. additional financial resources will also enable the organization of more sports events in Poland and trainings in sports clubs for the deaf.

Translation of text into PJM in video format: