Malaysia has set a target of three gold medals at the upcoming 2025 Summer Deaflympics scheduled in Tokyo, Japan this November, following its breakthrough achievement of two golds at the previous Games in Brazil, three years ago.

President of the Malaysian Deaf Sports Association (MSDeaf), (Dr.) Ong Shin Ruenn, said that intensive training for national athletes competing in the quadrennial Summer Games has been ongoing since last year, conducted across four states in Selangor, Perlis, Terengganu and Johor.

Centralised training for badminton and tenpin bowling is being held in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, while athletics training is conducted across Petaling Jaya, Perlis and Terengganu. Karate athletes are currently undergoing training in Terengganu.

The 25th Summer Deaflympics is scheduled from 15 to 26 November 2025 in Tokyo, featuring 18 sports and 216 events. The Deaflympics was first introduced in Paris, France, in 1926.

Malaysia first competed at the Deaflympics in 1993. At the last edition held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil in 2022, the national contingent made history by winning two gold medals in badminton — ending a 21-year gold medal drought.

“We are extremely grateful for the strong support from the Government, particularly from YAB Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has shown great concern for the development of deaf sports in Malaysia following the RM3 million allocation for athletes’ preparation and training in the lead-up to the Deaflympics in Tokyo,” said Ong after chairing MSDeaf’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Kuala Lumpur today.

The AGM also saw the election of a new Executive Committee (Exco) lineup for the 2025–2029 term.

Ong added that the RM3 million allocation, channelled through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council (NSC), will be fully utilised to carry out various programmes, particularly those aimed at preparing the athletes for the Deaflympics in Tokyo.

Numerous efforts are also underway to strengthen the development of deaf sports nationwide — from grassroots and schools to international competition levels.

“This includes empowering and increasing the participation of women in deaf sports, as encouraged by the Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who hopes to see more womens’ involvement in the sport,” Ong said.

In addition to the Deaflympics, MSDeaf is targeting a strong performance at the 2nd Southeast Asia Deaf Games (SEA Deaf Games 2025), which will be held in Jakarta from 20 to 26 August.

“Our target is to win at least 15 gold medals in Jakarta, with the main medal prospects coming from badminton, tenpin bowling, chess, and table tennis,” said Ong.

Preparations for the SEA Deaf Games have also been ongoing since last year. Athletics training is conducted in Terengganu, Perlis and Sabah, while badminton and tenpin bowling training is centred in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Chess is held in Penang and Sabah, while table tennis training is currently conducted in Sarawak.

Ong further emphasised that the newly elected MSDeaf leadership is committed to doubling efforts in expanding and strengthening deaf sports development nationwide, as well as attracting broader participation through enhanced outreach and programming.

 

MSDeaf Executive Committee Line-up (2025–2029 Term)

President:
(Dr.) Ong Shin Ruenn

Deputy President:
Mohd Yusri Bin Abd Ghani

Vice-Presidents:

1.    Sarkunan A/L Balakrisnan

2.    Ko Ming Liang

3.    Mohd Yazid Bin Bain

4.    Lam Wai Hoong

5.    Choo Mei Lin

Secretary-General:
Kamarzaman Harun

Assistant Secretary-General:
Nazrul Azwa Zulkipply

Treasurer:
Muhammad Shahril Bin Mohd Saupi

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