Surrey teen Ciara Peterson will soon jump on a plane for Japan to play volleyball at the Deaflympics, the world’s largest competition for deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes, but getting there isn’t easy financially.
Starting mid-November, the 17-year-old will be among the youngest of four dozen Team Canada athletes competing in nine sports during the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, at what Ciara calls “the deaf community’s equivalent to the Olympics.
“The level of competition and dedication is the same, but unfortunately, the awareness, access and support for deaf athletes is not,” Ciara wrote in a recent email to the Now-Leader.
Last May, facing “a critical lack of resources,” the Canadian Deaf Sports Association (CDSA) launched a fundraising campaign to raise $100,000 by October to help send Canada’s athletes to the Deaflympics. “Despite support from the federal government and donations from various sources, CDSA does not have sufficient funds to cover athletes’ travel and lodging costs” in Japan, the not-for-profit organization lamented.
In Tokyo, nearly 4,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes from 80 countries will compete in track and field (marathon and 5,000M), badminton, basketball, golf, beach volleyball, women’s volleyball, tennis and table tennis.
Ciara has played on Canada’s deaf women’s volleyball team since age 14. A student at Salish Secondary in Surrey, she started bumping, setting and spiking in Grade 4 or 5, continued in high school and found her way to the Cariboo Hill volleyball academy in Burnaby.
“I’ve played six different sports throughout my life, starting from the age of two,” she explained. “Sports have shaped who I am, giving me confidence, belonging, and the drive to break barriers. I am also very well known in the deaf community, and I believe I can make a difference — but I can’t do it alone. With your help, we can bring more visibility and support to deaf athletes.
“One of my biggest goals is to encourage deaf youth to believe they can be athletes with big dreams, just like any other young person,” Ciara added. “Many deaf kids grow up thinking their opportunities are limited, but if they see stories like ours, they’ll know that nothing can hold them back.”
A recent trip to Edmonton for training revealed some financial challenges.
“It’s a little bit complicated because the team doesn’t have enough funds from the government for anywhere to train together,” Ciara said in phone call using a relay service. “We only train about three times a year, and then rely on individual training, sometimes at rec centres, club, schools.… Right now I’m not playing at school, just because it’s not really a good fit for me.”
Ciara said she feels compelled to raise awareness about Team Canada’s trip to the Deaflympics and also funding struggles.
“We have some really good players on the team,” she said. “We also have even better players, in some cases, who can’t actually afford to go (to the Deaflympics), so they miss out on that and we’re not able to have those players with us.”
Yes, Ciara feels very fortunate to fly to Japan in a few weeks.
“You know, my family is able to help me out,” she said. “I have eight people in my family who really help pay for those things, and we do some fundraising as well. I have been doing fundraising over the last little while, and have been able to raise around $5,000, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of people to kind of help with that. So yes, I’m very fortunate in that regard.”
The Deaflympics, held at four-year intervals since 1924, are the longest–running multiple-sport competition apart from the Olympic Games, bringing together thousands of athletes in a setting tailored to their language and culture.
“Our team aspires to make Canada stand out on the global stage while proudly defending its colours,” said Alain Turpin, CDSA executive director.
“At a time when social and political divisions are ever-present, deaf sports have the power to bring people together,” he added. “It conveys a strong message: Canada is inclusive, united, and determined to showcase its values on the world stage.”
AloJapan.com