Athlete Selection Criteria

To be eligible for participation in competitions for the deaf and hard of hearing, an athlete must have a hearing loss of 55 decibels (dB) or greater in the better ear (three frequency pure tone average at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hertz [Hz]).

For purposes of competition, however, the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (www.deaflympics.com) does not classify athletes according to their degree of hearing loss. All people with a hearing loss of 55dB or greater in the better ear compete against one another.

USA Deaf Sports Federation is a National Association member of the ICSD and complies with the Deaflympics regulations prohibiting the use of hearing aids or cochlear implant aids during any sanctioned competitions.

The Federation exercises its coordinating authority with each National Sport Organization to develop and approve procedures for selecting athletes to represent the United States in international competitions. Contact information for all sports is listed in this directory.

The minimum athlete standards that all criteria must include are found in the attached PDF links provided for each sport. Athlete criteria are updated on a regular basis, pending approval by the NSO and the USADSF Executive Board.