The 25th Summer Deaflympics came to a close today with a colourful ceremony at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, a fitting finale to 12 days of world-class competition, personal triumphs and powerful stories of resilience.
For Malaysia, the Tokyo campaign brought a blend of pride and reflection as they ended their journey with one gold, two silvers and one bronze — shy of the initial three-gold target. Yet, for the contingent, the Games revealed something far more valuable – the rise of rising new generation of deaf athletes and signs of an even promising future.
Malaysia’s gold came through the men’s doubles bowling team, while the women’s doubles keglers and the men’s 84kg karate kumite event delivered two well-earned silvers. Mixed doubles badminton added a bronze for the contingent.
While medals slipped away in bowling and badminton — sports long regarded as Malaysia’s strongest — the Tokyo campaign was far from a setback. But instead of a setback, the Tokyo experience proved to be more of a stepping stone. Our young athletes overcame their own barriers with new personal bests, first-time finalists rose to the moment, and new medal hopefuls emerged with great potential to carry Malaysia’s hopes in the next Deaflympics.
Track and field exhibited some of the brightest signs of what lies ahead. Debutants like Zaiman Megat Abu and Azlan Kuste powered their way into the finals, with Azlan even rewriting his personal best in the 800m. Meanwhile in badminton, the youthful squad — many just around 20 — showed sparks of brilliance which promised great hopes in four year’s time.
Marking 100 years since the inaugural edition in Paris in 1924, the Tokyo Deaflympics gathered more than 3,000 deaf athletes from over 80 countries
The host city for the 26th Summer Deaflympics 2029 will be announced during the ICSD Congress in Tokyo on 29–30 November 2025.
Chef de Mission Mohd Yusri Abdul Ghani expressed mixed emotions as the Games drew to a close — balancing disappointment over missed targets with deep admiration for the courage shown by the Malaysian athletes. “Our deepest apologies to all Malaysians. Several factors like technical, psychological, cold weather conditions and physical limitations — affected performances in events where we were confident, including the men’s team bowling,” he reflected.
“But there is so much to be proud of. We now have young athletes who have reached finals, set personal bests and demonstrated maturity beyond their years. They will be carrying our challenge again, and they will carry it stronger in the next four years.”
Malaysia had hoped to match the two gold medals achieved at the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil.
But, with a youthful squad, growing support from the government, partners and stakeholders, and a renewed sense of belief, Malaysia’s deaf athletes leave Tokyo with renewed determination to build a stronger, more formidable campaign in the next Deaflympics cycle.
