Winter Deaflympics in Slovakia cancelled

The uncertain status of the Winter Deaflympics was finalized over the weekend with word that the Feb. 18-26 event had been cancelled just days before it was to begin.

On Sunday, the International Committee of Deaf Sports (ICSD) blamed the cancellation on the "comprehensive failure" of local organizers to deliver what they promised.

Hundreds of athletes were set to descend on the High Tatras mountain range in Slovakia to participate in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, hockey and snowboarding events.

Many competitors, coaches and officials had already made the trip overseas when they got word of the cancellation late Friday. The men's hockey team was training in Vienna and other Canadian athletes were en route to Slovakia.

Canadian Deaf Sports Association executive director Kimberley Rizzi said the athletes were crushed when the cancellation rumours were confirmed.

"It was just overwhelming," Rizzi said Sunday in a phone interview after arriving home in Montreal. "You could see in their eyes they were just devastated."

Organizers said they were not able to secure necessary funding. In a statement, ICSD chief executive Tiffany Granfors said "we are heartbroken ... and we are working as hard as we can to mitigate the effect it will have on deaf athletes and deaf sport."

Canada was planning to send a team of 64 athletes, coaches and team staff to Slovakia. Rizzi said rumours of a potential cancellation began heating up Friday and she got formal word from the ICSD later that day.

"It was a shock," Rizzi said. "At first it was really sad but now I'm passed that. We have to get to the bottom of this. It's critical."

Chief organizer Jaromir Ruda said that organizers were ready to pay for the lost expenses to teams. Rizzi estimated the Canadian expenses would be in the "hundreds of thousands" of dollars.

The Deaflympics were previously cancelled last May due to ICSD concerns about funding and preparation issues.

Then, in early December, Granfors announced the event would proceed as scheduled. She said organizers had made great strides in ensuring that venues, lodging facilities and transportation services would be available.

That optimism was quashed late Friday.

Rizzi said she's planning an emergency executive meeting on Monday to come up with a strategy on the next steps in the process.