AUSTRALIAN KOALAS CHASING HISTORY AT DEAFLYMPICS

Greyhounds As Pets/Deaf Football Australia

Australian Women’s Deaf Football team had their final training session in Sydney on Saturday as they prepare to head to Japan with a goal of winning the country’s first ever medal at an IOC sanctioned event.

The men’s and women’s teams head to the Japan on Tuesday to compete at the 25th Summer Deaflympics, a fully sanctioned event which will see more than 3,000 athletes take part from over 70 nations competing across 21 sports.

The Deaflympics - celebrating their 100th anniversary this year - are the pinnacle of deaf sport, where athletes compete under strict eligibility standards that ensure a level playing field by prohibiting hearing aids or cochlear implants during competition.

But while the Socceroos, Olyroos and Matildas all enjoy massive profiles and support, there is ironically silence around the Koalas.

“They are the silent Olympians. Nobody's ever heard of them,” said Deaf Football Australia Secretary Brian Seymour. “Hopefully now in the build-up to Sydney hosting the World Cup in 2027, you'll see a lot more and hear a lot more about the Koalas.

“People wouldn’t realise that to get to Japan for this event and for all our camps and trips, the team is self-funded. The girls and their families have to try and raise money for the trips, and our organisation helps out as best we can.

“It's really a disappointment because the hearing Olympics, the Paralympics, and the Deaflympics all sit under the International Olympic Committee. The other two get funded, and we're talking millions and millions over four years, and we don’t get one cent. We've had to pay for it ourselves.

“We’ll keep working on that but now is about these teams heading to Japan and hoping to bring back Australia’s first football medal at this level.”

Each member of the team has their own story, and one is Mikaylah DeGennaro whose journey has been built on belief, resilience and the support of her family, especially parents Corry and Sue.

Born profoundly deaf, she wears bilateral cochlear implants. The youngest member of the team at just 16, Mikaylah never envisaged playing for her country.

“I never even thought football at a national level was a thing for me,” she said at the team’s final training session on Saturday. “I've been playing NPL (National Premier League) since I was 11, so I thought that's just what I'll be doing for like the rest of my career. But my mum found out about deaf football online, and it just hasn’t stopped since then.

“I’m going to the Deaflympics, then in two years’ time Sydney hosts the World Cup. It’s very exciting.”

Earlier this year Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) came on board to support DeGennaro on her journey, covering the costs of her training, travel and tournament preparation.

But the association quickly flourished into something more, with DeGennaro now an official GAP Ambassador, appearing at adoption events and promoting greyhounds as pets to families. 

GAP extended its support as well, now sponsoring the Koalas in their bid to become the first Deaflympics Football team to secure a medal in Tokyo. 

“It was great having the greyhounds out here today and all the girls loved them,” DeGennaro said. “We might have to change the name from Koalas to Greyhounds.

“I can’t thank Greyhounds as Pets enough. They believed in me and my team when we needed support and their contribution hasn’t just made this trip possible, it’s helped us feel seen.”

GAP Chief Welfare Officer Mark Slater said: “Mikaylah is an extraordinary role model and GAP are thrilled to be associated with her and this team.

“Before getting here today I spoke to our CEO Steve Griffin about our support from Mikaylah and we're going to increase that support again by another 25%, just to make sure her costs and the team's costs are looked as best they can.”

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