Team Kenya’s delegation to the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan, has been scaled down from 12 teams to just five, following budget limitations confirmed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports.
Originally slated to compete in 12 disciplines, Kenya will now only participate in athletics, swimming, women’s basketball, men’s handball, and golf at the Games, scheduled for November 15–26.
Disciplines dropped from the roster include women’s volleyball, women’s football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, badminton, and bowling.
Team Kenya CEO Duncan Kuria cited financial constraints as the primary reason for the reduction. He explained that the final selection was based on international experience and past performance at global events.
Kuria also noted the absence of African Deaf Championships, which hindered the international preparedness of the dropped teams.
He highlighted bowling as a promising team that showed strong potential for Tokyo but was unfortunately excluded due to limited exposure.
Regarding the women’s football team, Kuria pointed to their underwhelming performance at the 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, as the reason for their omission from the 2025 squad.
