Search results

The team of 17 deaf athletes are farewelled at Kelston School for the Deaf, with official team photos, before leaving for the 10th International Games for the Deaf at Washington D.C.

Imagine a packed stadium and not one of the 10,000 spectators’ voices heard by the athletes competing. That was the scenario painted by deaf table tennis and basketball player Kaz Witko who travelled with the New Zealand team to the international deaf sports convention in West Germany last year.

About 100 interpreters have been trained in Christchurch over the last year. The classes were organised by the hearing people but the deaf were the teachers. It is only the second time that New Zealand sign language has been taught in this country.

When the 1400 competitors and officials arrive in Christchurch to take part in the World Games for the Deaf, TVNZ's news programme for the deaf will be ready and waiting. The small staff of the weekly programme "News Review" is being boosted by four journalists to cover the events of the three-week games in January.

The Games will be about the same size as the 1974 sporting extravaganza in Christchurch, the Commonwealth Games. Yet it has been orchestrated on a budget of $700,000 – about one-third of the cost of the opening ceremony planned for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

The Auckland Deaf Society has reversed a previous decision and decided to support the team being sent to the Olympic Games for deaf people in Helsinki in August by the Wellington Deaf Sports Club.

A summary of each sport featuring in the upcoming VXI World Deaf Games in Christchurch – soccer, table tennis, volleyball, basketball, handball, track and field, wrestling, cycling, swimming and badminton, with New Zealand contenders for medals.

This month, the Manawatu Deaf Club will again host the Annual New Zealand Deaf Convention. It will be the twenty-first with over 200 people competing. 160-170 will be from Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, Wellington, Christchurch and Southland. Local competitors make up the total.

Seventeen New Zealanders, en route to the tenth annual International Games for the Deaf in Washington D.C., have been squeezing some Mexico City sightseeing into a brief lay-over during their trip. New Zealand's contingent, headed by Stewart Smith, includes a basketball team, wrestler, trackmen, table tennis players and a swimmer.

New Zealand swimmers Kathryn Olsson and Anva Cosgrove made their first appearance in the pool in the 100m freestyle. They finished fifth in their respective heats and failed to make the finals.