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Deaf swimming

Deaf swimming is competitive swimming for deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes. Races follow pool, stroke, start, turn and time-scoring logic; starts, distance alerts and false-start communication are signalled visually.

LevelAdaptive FamilyAquatics Family CategoryWater sport

AI-generated illustration: Deaf swimming — AI-generated illustration

Classification

Category Water sport

Family Aquatics Family

Level Adaptive

Getting started

Kurzbeschreibung Deaf swimming is pool competitive swimming with visual start and communication signals.

Geeignet für Suitable for swimmers who want technique, times and clear visual signals together.

Cost Pool/class fee plus goggles/swimwear; visual communication should be agreed in advance. Club, lane time, training, competition fees and possibly deaf-sport federation. Swimming club, deaf sports club or inclusive swim training. Start lights, visual signals and clear coach communication matter more than extra gear.

First progress Body position and starts improve after weeks; race starts and turns need regular training.

Fitness level medium

Was du brauchst

safe swimming ability
pool
goggles
cap if needed
coach/supervision
visible start/stop signals

First steps

check swim technique
tell coach communication needs
practise start/stop cues
train short lengths and turns

Swimming club, deaf sports group, inclusive class or national deaf sports federation.

Start only in supervised pools, especially when communication or start signals need adaptation.

Weitere Angaben

Tags water, deaf, swimming, deaf-swimming, water-sport, aquatics-familie, gehoerlosenschwimmen, wassersport

Rules and format

Die Grundlagen

Ziel

Complete the announced distance in a legal stroke faster and legally than the competition.

Teilnehmer

Individual or relay.

Teamgröße

Individual swimmer or relay team.

Spielfeld

Pool with marked lanes.

Dauer

Depends on format and event.

Wertung

Fastest legal time.

Gewinnbedingung

Best valid time, placing or score in the announced format.

Ausrüstung

swimwear
goggles
cap
starting block
visual start system

Wichtige Regelpunkte

false start
illegal stroke
turn fault
leaving lane
missing/unauthorised signal

Regelquellen

Federations and sources

Federations

International Committee of Sports for the Deaf
World Aquatics
International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD)
World Aquatics

Tokyo 2025 Technical Regulations: Swimming ICSD Deaflympics · rulebook · high
Swimming - Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics · official · high
Sport modifications fact sheet Deaf Sports Australia · federation · medium