Senegal pull out of 2025 Deaf Olympics over funding crisis

The tournament runs from 15 to 26 November 2025 in Japan, but the national deaf football team will no longer take part.

The Senegalese Deaf Sports Association (ASSS) confirmed the news in a public statement on its official Facebook page.

Weeks of fundraising and sponsorship efforts did not generate the financial support needed to cover flights, accommodation, and team logistics.

The organisation said it exhausted all available options but could not reach the budget required for participation.

Senegal’s withdrawal hits hard because the team earned Africa’s sole representative spot at the global event.

The setback carries emotional weight for a squad that has emerged as a continental and international powerhouse.

Senegal won the Africa Deaf Ball Games Qualifiers title in Kenya in 2021, proving its dominance on the continent.

The team then delivered a standout performance at the 2022 Deaf Olympics in Brazil, finishing fifth in the world.

A year later, Senegal claimed the bronze medal at the 2023 World Championship in Malaysia, cementing its global rise.

That podium finish also lifted the country to third in the official world rankings for deaf football.

These achievements built national pride and strengthened the belief that the team could contend for medals in Tokyo.

Instead, the players now face a painful reality, sidelined by financial barriers instead of football obstacles.

The ASSS said the situation exposes a wider struggle that deaf athletes face in Senegal, especially in funding major competitions.

It also stressed that skill, dedication, and international results have not translated into adequate structural support.

The association urged national institutions, sponsors, and sporting bodies to rethink investment in deaf sports.

The statement described the players as ambassadors of resilience who continue to elevate Senegal’s reputation on global stages.

Officials also reminded the public that these athletes do not lack ability, commitment, or ambition, only funding.

Senegal’s case echoes a growing conversation in African sport, where talent often outpaces financial infrastructure.

For now, a team ranked third in the world can only watch a tournament it earned the right to play in.