TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA) – 75 Iranian deaf athletes have attended the opening ceremony of the Deaflympics 2021 in the Brazilian city of Caxias do Sul.

The Iranian athletes will be competing in 8 fields including soccer, beach volleyball, athletics, archery, judo, freestyle wrestling (men), karate and taekwondo (men and women).

The Deaflympics is an international multi-sport event, organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD – International Committee of Sports for the Deaf). The first edition, held in Paris in 1924, was also the first sporting event for people with special needs.

The Summer Deaflympics takes place every 4 years and is the oldest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.

For the 24th summer edition, it is expected to receive 4,500 deaf athletes and teams from over 100 countries.

As a historical landmark, Brazil will be the first country in Latin America to host the Summer Deaflympic Games.

The event is slated to be held from May 1 to 15.

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