Deaf golfer Charles Williams hopes to inspire as he heads to Deaflympics

JOHANNESBURG - The South African Deaf Sports Federation (SADSF) will send a team to the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo, which will take place from 15 November to 26 November.

One of the selected athletes to represent South Africa is golfer Charles Williams, who will be competing in his second Deaflympics after participating in 2021.

“I’m excited, and this is the best opportunity for me for the second time. I’m proud to be selected for the team; it’s a huge honour,” said Williams.

The Deaflympics, which is essentially the Olympics for deaf people, were first held in Paris, France, in 1924. The Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics will mark the 100th anniversary commemorative Games and will be held in Japan for the first time.

Williams, who has been deaf since he was an infant due to meningitis, is a seasoned athlete who attended the Mary Kihn School for deaf and hearing-impaired pupils in Observatory. He started playing golf when he was 16 years old.

“I started playing golf at the age of 16 while I was still at school. I was good at sports at school and had a great coach, Oom Kulk, who pushed me to be a better golfer. So I carried on playing and became the top golfer in SA and a coach for disabled and deaf children.”

The talented golfer, currently a golf coach for pupils at Mary Kihn School, mentors the next generation of up-and-coming hard-of-hearing or deaf golfers.

He told Eyewitness News that he would like to see more people using sign language so that sports can be more inclusive.

“I would love to see more hearing people learn sign language and definitely more deaf golf tournaments in the country.”

Earlier this year, the 31-year-old from the Western Cape won the South African Deaf Open golf tournament at the King David Golf Course in Mowbray. He was also the 2019 Western Province Deaf Golfer of the Year.