At the time of writing this article, the earliest known deaf person to compete at the Olympic Games was Carlo Orlandi, an Italian boxer who competed in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.
In some cases, adaptations could be made to accommodate deaf athletes such as Marcus Titus.
The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf organises the Deaflympics every four years for deaf athletes. Some of the people listed in this article are also involved in the activities of the Deaflympics.
Sports coaches are learning to adapt their strategies to accommodate deaf athletes, particularly those taking part in team sports. The American men's volleyball coach John Speraw has the "David Smith Rule" for his middle blocker.
Athletes
The table below shows Deaf athletes known to have competed in the Olympics. All either competed at the Deaflympics, or would have qualified to do so. To qualify for the Deaflympics, "athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55db in their 'better ear'. Hearing aids, cochlear implants and the like are not allowed to be used in competition, to place all athletes on the same level" In the Olympics, there is no restriction on hearing loss or use of hearing aids.