2019 Winter Deaflympics
The 2019 Winter Deaflympics (Italian: 2019 Olimpiadi invernali per non udenti), officially known as the 19th Winter Deaflympics or XIX Winter Deaflympics (Italian: 19° Olimpiadi invernali per sordi), was the 19th edition of the Winter Deaflympics, and took place between the 12–21 December in Sondrio Province in Northern Italy. The opening ceremony was held in Sondrio on 12 December and curling competition began a day prior to the start of the Winter Deaflympics. Sporting events apart from curling commenced on 13 December.
Official logo | |
| Host city | Province of Sondrio Italy |
|---|---|
| Motto | We Need a Chance |
| Nations | 34 |
| Athletes | 485 (362 men and 123 women) |
| Events | 36 in 6 sports |
| Opening | 12 December 2019 |
| Closing | 21 December 2019 |
| Opened by | Marco Scaramellini |
| Winter | |
| Summer | |
36 events took place in 6 sports: alpine skiing, chess, cross-country skiing, curling, ice hockey, and snowboarding. Initially 32 sporting events were slated to be held but three more events were added to the competition by the organisers due to the inclusion of chess, which was a surprise move. Chess made its debut at the 2019 Winter Deaflympics.
The 19th Deaflympics were the second time Italy hosted the event, previously hosting the 1983 games in Madonna di Campiglio. The Deaflympics was organised by the Federazione Sport Sordi Italia, the national deaf sports federation in Italy, affiliated with the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.