zation, 2005; USADSF, 2006). It has been affiliated with the Comite International des Sports des Sourds (CISS) since 1948, and is affiliated with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It hosted the Summer Deaflympics in 1965 in Washington, DC, and in Los Angeles in 1985, and hosted the Winter Deaflympics at Lake Placid, New York in 1975 . It will host the 2007 Winter Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. It has established a Hall of Fame and selects Athletes of the Year on an annual basis.
To compete in USADSF events, the athletes must be deaf or have a hearing loss of 55dB or greater (USADSF, 2006). No hearing aids are allowed during competition. US participants must be US citizens. Conditions of competition for the Deaflympics are similar to those for the regular Olympics. There is a Games Preparation Committee which organizes and prepares US teams for the Deaflympics. The selection criteria for athletes and coaches in each sport is based on parameter requirements.
The USADSF embraces "universal values of
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