CSUSOP - Deaflympics
'Big Brother' Matt Klotz Explains his Deaflympic Experience.
The Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics (CSUSOP) had a public hearing, “The Future of Olympic and Paralympic Sports in America,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
Only nine of the 14 members of the Commission listened to 18 witnesses who testified on topics including Governance and accountability, Protecting the safety of participants, Athletes’ rights, equity and accessibility, and ensuring fair play, and How to build a better future for sports in America.
This newsletter issue focuses on Athletes’ rights, equity, and accessibility. Along with two Paralympians on the panel, Jeff Mansfield, USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF), was invited to speak before the Commission.
Today’s issue of The Sports Examiners wrote:
Jeff Mansfield, the President of the USADSF, pointed out that the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 did not make any allowance for special support for deaf athletes. The current USOPC alignment with the International Paralympic Committee has left deaf athletes – who participate in a separate multi-sport event, the Deaflympics – on their own, especially compared to Paralympians supported by the USOPC. He asked for an amendment to the Act to require the USOPC to assist deaf athletes in the same way.
You can watch/read Mansfield’s 5-minute testimony - Click the C-Span video and slide the timestamp to 1:01:26.
Then, slide to 1:08:20 to see Mansfield’s response to questions about the relationship between the Deaflympics and the Paralympics, the challenges faced by deaf athletes, and the barriers to participation.
Finally, slide to 1:13:36 to listen to Mansfield’s response to whether Safe Sport currently protects deaf athletes.
[Note: Scroll down this C-Span website and read text messages.]
The Commission did not ask the second witness, Sarah Hirshland, Executive Director of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), why the Deaflympics is not included in the USOPC program or similar.
However, Mansfield submitted to the Commission a thick notebook of over 2,000 pages of documents describing several decades-long of deflection, dismissiveness, and denial.
Mansfield urged the Commission to “insert the Deaflympics into the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and to USOPC‘s mandate and for the investment in Deaflympians and Deaflympians. “
“We are proud to wear the letters “USA” across our chests, and Today, we are calling on our country to have our backs. Nothing about us without us,” closed Jeff Mansfield.
After the hearing, I received several emails and texts from past Deafllympians who asked me for the result. But I reminded them that the Commission will complete its study at the end of September and will produce a full report with recommendations and possible proposed legislation next spring. Mansfield’s testimony will hopefully help the Commission shape its report.
The forgotten Deaflympians must continue walking in a circle for more months since they started on November 8, 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 - 45 years is too long (I will be 80 next July!)
Other News about USA Deaflympian Super Swimmer Matt Koltz
Deaflypian Matt Klotz is getting closer to winning Big Brother while telling Reality Titbit about his Deaflympic experience. You can count how many medals he earned in the past three Deaflympics: Bulgaria in 2013, Turkey in 2017, and Brazil in 2022. Click on his list.