Nathan Young: My campaign to see Deaf swimmers achieve equality in the sporting world

Although there have been many negative experiences in my sporting life as a swimmer who is deaf, there has – with the right support – been a tremendous amount of positives. There is so much support out there available but unfortunately it’s not always easy to access.

It seems so long ago since I last wrote for Limping Chicken and so much has happened since. Today I would like to give you an insight into competing as a deaf swimmer internationally and you will then hopefully see how important it is that we achieve equality in the sporting world, equally alongside our outstanding Paralympic swimmers.

To give you some idea of what I face, I want to talk to you about my experience competing in the first World Deaf Short Course Championships in Gliwice, Poland in November 2021. Many Great Britain deaf swimmers had to give up their attempt to go, due to the mounting costs of competing internationally and I found myself again being the only athlete to represent an entire disability, my sport and my country.

It wasn’t a position I wanted to be in but being in a 5 year cycle of training for the Deaflympics, I again needed to find my rankings in preparation and with this event being the first World Deaf Short Course Championships it was the perfect opportunity.

I had been training hard, I was mentally prepared and probably the most prepared I’d ever been for a competition. Being self-funded and having no support from National Governing Bodies means I answer to no one and therefore all decisions are mine.

My problem was – who would accompany me on this trip? My home coach had commitments to the rest of my club after an incredibly difficult few years and I understood this. Not being an Olympic or Paralympics swimmer I do not have the luxury of people taking this worry away from me.

I also knew that I would have to fund myself and whoever was to accompany me. Ideally I needed an experienced coach and an interpreter. Finding both was proving difficult but then an offer came from someone I knew from competing back at the 23rd Deaflympics and someone with a wealth of experience and knowledge in international competitions and communication.

It was Christof Niklaus the Chef de Mission of the 23rd Deaflympics. He is an incredible man and someone I will always be grateful to. Communication in competitions can be incredibly difficult and my last international competition resulted in me missing a final purely due to the communication issues. I knew having Christof with me would take all that away.

It was agreed that I would have constant communication with my home coach and so we began preparations. UK Deaf Sport (UKDS) submitted my entries and my parents arranged everything – literally everything –  dealing with the Polish organisers, transferring the funds to cover entries, hotels, transport, booking flights, sorting insurance and PCR tests for both Christof and I and all the travel forms needed when travelling between counties with Covid restrictions.

It was a mammoth task. If I had equal support like what the Paralympians get then this would have been done for me automatically.

It really isn’t easy for me competing alone especially when faced with teams from other countries. I enjoy the camaraderie and support we have so I miss this when competing alone. Even though I have made friends from all over the world for some reason this competition was different.

I suppose since the last Deaflympics, more countries now treat their deaf athletes with the same respect as their Olympic and Paralympics athletes. I could see their attitudes have changed but also the athletes themselves have reacted to their new found support and funding and in turn the results proved that.

I will openly admit that I wasn’t prepared for what I witnessed at this event. I became the pitied swimmer from Great Britain who received nothing. Others laughed at me and openly shared their preparations for the competition attending altitudes camps, tailored training, physio sessions, funded kits, sponsors and – above all – the funding they now received as elite deaf athletes.

As the days passed I stood beside them about to race but with a totally different perspective. I was no longer the one who’d trained so hard and was so focused and prepared. I was crushed.

I had so many messages of support throughout the week from back home not only family, friends, my club, but also from Olympic and Paralympics swimmers.  I was so grateful for these messages as it gave me a feeling that yes they are with me, they respect me and believe in me but inside I was struggling. I came away placed 4th in the World in my events and one step closer to my ambitions.

I began a campaign to change history. It’s a campaign to bring our country in line with others who do champion their Deaflympic athletes equally alongside Paralympic athletes. At the event in November I came 4th in my events yet those that came before me received funding. Imagine what I could achieve if I had that same respect!

I want deaf children to know that the Deaflympics exists. It’s the 24th Deaflympics next month yet we don’t see anything about it. No one seems to be challe  nging for change. I have students asking me if they can do their studies on me and deaf sport as it’s just not well known about and therefore brings something quite shocking to discuss with their class.

If I had had the knowledge and vision of becoming a Deaflympian as a young child then I believe my life would have been so different but unfortunately I knew nothing of deaf sport or Deaflympics until I was 15.

Unfortunately despite starting my campaign and challenging the government everyday on social media, they have failed to answer and deal with my appeal for help. I have also had no response from any Member of Parliament. Today is day 354 yet I will not give up as we need the government to step forward and change the future of deaf athletes in Great Britain.

The Government (DCMS) and the National Lottery currently give money (millions!) to fund pathways for Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They fund Paralympic S1 – S14. Deaf athletes are classed as Para S15. The Deaflympics are the 2nd longest running multi sporting event in the world and it could so easily have been the fact that Deaflympics was funded not Paralympics.

The government say that deaf athletes are able bodied. I don’t think that is relevant. S14 classification includes those with learning difficulties and so they are also able bodied. The bigger picture in all of this is that all doors are closed to any support for deaf athletes because they follow the governments remit.

The funded pathways give athletes everything they need. They give them money to live on so they don’t need to work and can devote 100% to their sport. It provides the best facilities, coaching, kit, training camps abroad, pays for all hotels, travel, competitions. Everything.

I have to self fund and book everything. I work. If I get injured I can’t afford to pay for regular physio and I miss so much training now. It’s come to the point of sometimes wondering if I should give up. But this challenge means so much to the deaf community and I receive so many messages telling me to never give up.

You don’t see deaf athletes getting MBE’s, appearing on TV or being championed by MP’s. Its as though we don’t exist. My biggest inspiration is that young child I use to be. How I was born with hearing which deteriorated rapidity leaving me isolated and dealing with unimaginable fear. A child born into a hearing family who fought every step to get what I was rightly entitled to.

The thing is that child is out there still. So many children will be experiencing the same as I did. I want to bring my story to them and show them – yes it’s difficult, but there are such great opportunities to grab!

I am currently mentoring a young boy who has been struggling with his deaf identity and having spent sometime with him we arranged for me to go into his school to share my sporting experiences with his peers. The benefits for him were immediate.

I was quoted a few years ago as saying, hi  “the pathway should be changed to accommodate you, not you having to change to fit into a pathway.” We should never change who we are but society is constantly letting us know that we are the ones who don’t fit in.

Even today if a deaf child competes at a level 3 or 4 swimming gala they have no light start. So basically they have to look to the side of the pool for a light by the official or read the officials lips. There is no light near the block.

Even now if I compete in a level 1 or 2 I have to look and follow the other swimmers as I can’t hear the whistle to get on the block or take your marks. I am an elite athlete and I have to look to the side of the pool to read the officials lips. It’s just not good enough.

I am currently on reduced training as I work and I am also concentrating on my campaign. I have entered no competitions since November as to stand besides fully funded swimmers has left me feeling not great to be honest.

It is very difficult to put into words how it feels to witness and live with this daily.  The training schedule for a swimmer is so full on but I don’t have the luxury of funding. I can only train at 6am then work at 9am then train at 4.45pm.

I now know why you don’t see National Governing Bodies sharing the achievements of deaf swimmers. Imagine if we got any sort of attention and the discrimination came out. There are two international competitions next year and if I win this battle then I would be able to afford to train and compete.

What our Government are doing is basically ignoring an entire disability. I am proud to be a Deaflympian and proud to have competed in the 2nd longest running multi sporting event in the world. My campaign ultimately comes down to wanting an end to an ongoing circle of blame which enviably only comes down to our government.

By Nathan Young, GB swimmer and Deaflympian 

#ICanSeeTheLightningButICantHearTheThunder