UK Deaf Sport has reacted with disappointment to the news that current International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) President Craig Crowley was narrowly outvoted in his bid to gain a second term.

Crowley, a former Chair of UKDS, will handover the presidency to Valery Rukhledev of Russia following the end of the Sofia Deaflympics.

Crowley won the first round of voting but narrowly failed to reach the required majority and lost to Rukhledev in the second round.

UKDS Chair Philip Gerrard commented:

“We are extremely disappointed that ICSD Congress did not vote in Craig for a second term.

“Putting aside our shared nationality, Craig was the only candidate who had put forward a manifesto – outlining ICSD objectives for the next four years.

“Since 2009, Craig has managed to implement reforms and strategically plan the future for Deaf sport worldwide.

“We must also remember that Craig took over when ICSD was in disarray, following decisions made by the previous administration (culminating in the cancellation of the 2011 Winter Deaflympics in Slovakia).

“In years to come, we hope that the impact made by Craig’s changes will prove to have been the right decisions.

“Lastly, the UKDS Board commend Craig on a job very well done during his four years.”

What does the new ICDS Presidency mean for UK Deaf Sport?
Stuart Harrison, UKDS Vice Chair, explained:

“It is now unclear what direction the new ICSD leadership will choose to take in the next four years.

“Decisions made by the leadership could filter down and impact on our funding process for future Deaflympics.

“However, we expect that the leadership will have to implement the instructions of Congress, but this really remains to be seen.”