Volunteers - the backbone in Deaf Sport
Today I want to talk about the huge value that volunteers bring to deaf sport especially here at the Deaflympics in Tokyo. We all know that in sport, volunteers are the backbone to providing a successful environment to those who play sport, regardless of ability. Without our volunteers, we see even less deaf people playing sport and fewer opportunities to introduce sport to the deaf community.
One of the main benefits of volunteering is that it can help galvanises the sense of community spirit through the energy and skills that these special individuals bring. Even here in Tokyo I have been in awe of the hundred and thousands of volunteers working throughout the Games. Being greeted by someone with a huge smile at every sports venue makes you feel important and valued. Seeing the sense of pride that all the volunteers take in their respective roles makes me feel humble as we often take it for granted how important even the most mundane of tasks may be to ensure that all the athletes have a positive experience in the games.
Coming back to the GB Team we have an amazing number of volunteers who are putting in a huge amount of effort to help support our athletes to perform at the best of their abilities. We have such a range of roles including, a Doctor, Physios, Team Managers, Coaches, and an interpreter working with a small group of staff to help us to support the team giving up their free time unpaid.
Event back in the UK there are hundreds of you who have volunteered your time to support the athletes and UK Deaf Sport in so many ways. I once read somewhere that behind every successful athlete, there is an army of volunteers supporting them in a whole range of roles. One behalf of us all here in Tokyo, a huge thanks to all of you for making dreams and aspirations come true.
Looking ahead, we are going to need even more volunteers across all sports to help our future Deaflympic athletes to prepare for the next games and beyond, especially given do not have the recognition or support for our elite deaf athletes.