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DIFA

Deaf International Football Association - is an independent organization representing deaf football worldwide.

Football is the oldest sport of deaf people. It has been a part of the Summer Deaflympics program since 1924. To date, football is one of the most prestigious and highly-attended (in terms of the number of participants) events in the program of Deaflympics that are held every four years under the aegis of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD). Currently, in addition to the Deaflympic football tournaments, there are World and Continental Football Championships (European, Asian, Pan American), in which teams from more than 70 countries participate. In 2005, Women's Football was included as a sport in the Deaflympics program.

Due to the growing number of participating teams and the expansion of Deaf Football, it was decided to establish the Deaf International Football Association (DIFA), which was officially registered by the Registration Chamber of Geneva (Switzerland) on June 14th 2010. DIFA is officially recognized as an international organization dedicated to Deaf Football and Futsal promotion in the world. In 2015, DIFA became a full-fledged member of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.

The primary goals of DIFA are:

– Developing football among the deaf, as well as the support of educational, cultural and ethical values of sports by the implementations of various youth and development programs;

– Holding football matches, organization of national and international competitions in cooperation with other associations.

– Management the international sports relations connected with football in the framework of DIFA.

The main goal of DIFA (as part of an agreement with ICSD) is the development of youth Deaf Football and Futsal, and the development of Deaf Football in the African region. To stick to this goal of development, DIFA successfully organized and held the 1st U-18 Youth World Deaf Futsal Championship (Bangkok, Thailand,2017), in which more than 100 persons from 8 countries participated.