Craig Crowley, the president of International Committee of Sports for the deaf (ICSD), has said Hungary is not the only option to host the 2013 Deaflympics.
Hungary is the current favourite to host the 2013 Deaflympics, after Athens pulled out due to the Greek financial crisis.
However, Hungary is facing economic woes. According to Crowley, the Hungarian government is willing to pay only half of the agreed budget to host the games, leaving the ICSD to pay the rest at 700 Euros (£581) per athlete.
Crowley says that Bulgaria and Russia are also interested in hosting the Deaflympics next year, depending on the level of support from both governments. He said the committee will make a decision by the end of May.
Russia are due to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi, and have now expressed an interest in also hosting the 2015 Winter Deaflympics in Sochi.
ICSD insist they need the Russian government to support the Winter Deaflympics to avoid a repeat of the 2011 debacle, which saw the Games being cancelled at the last minute due to fraud being committed by a disgraced Winter Deaflympics organiser.
Last week, we reported that a number of Deaf sports federations around the world have signed a letter to voice their unhappiness with the ICSD’s leadership, and to call on the ICSD to hold an extraordinary congress later this summer.
Crowley has rejected calls for an extraordinary congress, instead encouraging other countries to back him and ICSD’s work.
Crowley has acknowledged his critics by apologising for the lack of communication between the ICSD and deaf sports federations around the world, and is committed to winning back their trust and support.
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