10e Deaflympics in Washington DC 1965

Officially, the Games from 1924 to 1965 were called the International Silent Games in English or Jeux Internationaux Silencieux in French....

The Games took place outside Europe for the first time in 1965, in Washington DC (USA).

687 athletes from 27 countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Britain, Italy, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Germany, Soviet Union, Israel, Japan, Iran, India, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, Canada and the USA) took part in these Games with sports such as athletics, basketball, diving, gymnastics, swimming, football, cycling, shooting, table tennis and tennis. Mexico, Argentina, India & Japan participated in the Pacific Games for the first time

Notable facts were:
for the first time, these Silent Games were organised and prepared by only deaf persons!

these Games were mainly held at Gallaudet University, where all athletes & officials could also stay overnight at one place in the Olympic Village;
there were 8 top athletes who managed to win 3 gold medals:

- Athletics: James Davis (USA), Vyacheslav Skomorokhov, Leonid Djuruk, Alexander Boitsov, Viktor Demanov, Antonina Bubnova (all SOV),
- Cycling: Malcolm Lee Johnson (GBR)
- Table tennis: Terez Ivankay (HUN)

In the medal standings, we saw : the USA finished in 1st place with 57 medals (13 gold, 21 silver and 23 bronze), while the Soviet Union won 53 medals (2nd place with 29 gold, 15 silver and 9 bronze) and Italy took 3rd place with 38 medals (12 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze).

Belgium competed with 25 athletes and won 1 bronze medal:

Athletics

- Jean-Marie Rebry (°1944) : 1,500 m (8th place) and 5,000 m.
- Joseph Van den Bergh (°1943) : 100 m and 200 m.

Tennis

- Joseph Goldwirt (°1920) : singles.

Swimming

- Rene Dubuisson (°1948) : 200 m freestyle, 100 m breaststroke and 200 m butterfly.

Basketball with 4th place

Belgium vs Israel = 50-33
Belgium vs Finland = 34-58
1/2 final : BEL vs New Zealand = 32-69
For 3rd and 4th place : Belgium vs USA = 44-96

Players : Jean-Claude Billen (°1941), Jean De Coster (°1937), Pierre Dewit (°1940), Jean-Pierre George (°1931), Edmond Rousseau (°1941), Maurice Tastenoy (°1942) and Urbain Werbrouck (°1931).

Football with 4th place

Argentina vs Belgium = 1-1
USA vs Belgium = 0-9
France vs Belgium = 0-8
1/2 final : Belgium vs Great Britain = 1-1, lost on penalties.
For 3rd or 4th place : Belgium vs Germany = 1-1

Players : Raphaël D'huyvetter (°1940), Dion De Clerck (°1939), Amaat De Ro (°1935), Werner Deschamps (°1934), Gustaaf Elsermans (°1941), Joseph Goossens (°1935), Edward Michiels (°1938), Emmanuel Rossel (°1938), Willy Seeuws (°1924), Bonaventure Sempels (°1937), Karel Smets (°1930), Joseph Van den Bergh (°1943), Xavier Van Hecke (°1943) and Roland Van Hoorebeke (°1939).