Texas School for the Deaf students to represent Team USA at Deaflympics in Brazil

AUSTIN, Texas - Three students from the Texas School for the Deaf are set to represent Team USA at the 24th summer Deaflympics in Brazil.

The Deaflympics, the international summer games for deaf and hard-of-hearing elite athletes, is scheduled for May 1-15 in Caxias do Sul, marking the first time a city in Latin America will host the games.

The TSD students are joining an estimated 357 athletes from 16 countries competing in athletics, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, cycling, football, golf, handball, judo, karate, mountain biking, orienteering, shooting, swimming, table tennis, Taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, freestyle wrestling, and Greco-Roman wrestling.

TSD senior Kourtney Dolliole of Houston will compete in sprints and relays. TSD senior Marissa Giuntoli of Austin will compete in swimming. TSD junior Trent Gobble of Austin will compete in jump and relay events.

Unlike for Olympians, there are no sponsors for these athletes, who are solely responsible for funding the entirety of their own trip expenses through fundraising or out-of-pocket, says TSD. Each TSD athlete has a mightycause page to raise funds for the trip.

Following the Olympic calendar, the games were scheduled to take place in December 2021, but were postponed until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Dan and Melissa Martin had a son, Chris, who loved soccer. They lost him 13 years ago, and every year they do something to celebrate his life. This year, they are helping Faith Wylie go to 2022 Deaflympics.