Deaflympics Archives Database Project: 985 Errors And Inaccuracies

From: DeafSportlawsuit.com - Aug 1, 2005

PRESS RELEASE – AUGUST 1, 2005
 
From: www.deafsportlawsuit.com
 
 
DEAFLYMPICS ARCHIVES DATABASE PROJECT: 985 ERRORS AND INACCURACIES
 
By RAFAEL PINKHASOV PINCHAS, CISS/DEAFLYMPICS OMBUDSMAN
 
SUMMARIES
 
* 985 ( ! ) INCONSISTENCIES IN GAMES DATABASE PROJECT
 
* 1924 GAMES STATISTICS: 159 ATHLETES/10 COUNTRIES  VS.
   133 ATHLETES/9 COUNTRIES
 
* An 8 YEAR-OLD COMPETITOR AT 1963 WINTER GAMES?
 
* NO YEAR OF BIRTH DATA ON SPORTS ANARCHIST'S OLDEST SISTER
 
* 1987 CISS GOLD MEDAL AWARDEE, 1994 GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY
   HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE RECIPIENT AND 1995 OLYMPIC
   ORDER HOLDER IS IN CHARGE OF GAMES DATABASE PROJECT
 
New York, USA  – A number of readers have in the last three weeks contacted this website by asking questions on whether the many facts reported in the CISS/Deaflympics website were reliable and accurate ones.
 
The CISS/Deaflympics website has recently launched its long-awaited and much-needed project called the Games Database Project ( "database project" ), which lists the names of all participants ( including their years of birth ) at the Deaflympic Summer Games since 1924 and Deaflympic Winter Games since 1949
 
www.deaflympics.com/update/enews/index.asp?ID=626
 
Upon thorough review of this interesting and still unfinished database project, it is the opinion of this Ombudsman that this historically important project is being immensely mishandled by those who are entrusted in working and implementing with it!
 
Too many errors, inaccuracies, disputable facts and omissions have already been committed with the database project!
 
To get a basic idea and explanation how and why the database project is being mishandled, there are, on a random basis, five examples which demonstrate incompetence, imprudence and backward job performance of those persons who are involved with the project work.
 
Example Number 1.
The 1st Deaflympic Summer Games, 1924, Paris, France.
 
The database reports that these Games attracted a total of 159 athletes from 10 countries.
These figures, however, are incorrect and inflated ones.
How and where did a person in charge of this database project get such statistics?
 
According to the first and official 1924-1934 CISS Book published in the German language ( luckily, this Ombudsman owns an original of this book ), the facts are these: there were, instead, 133 competitors coming from 9 countries.
 
Example Number 2.
The 1st Deaflympic Winter Games, 1949, Seefeld, Austria.
 
The database informs  – albeit, very mistakenly - that there were 38 participants from 6 countries at these inaugural Winter Games.
 
On March 12, 1995 in Helsinki, Finland, this Ombudsman had his lengthy interview with Mr. Antoine Dresse, one of the two founders of the CISS/Deaflympics as well as a first-hand witness of the 1949 Games, who had accurately confirmed that there were 33 participants from 5 countries at the 1949 Games.
 
Example Number 3.
The 7th Deaflympic Summer Games, 1953, Brussels, Belgium.
 
The USA fielded its 8-member basketball team to these Games. And there were no such players on its team roster whose surnames were spelled such as GNDERDONCK ( his  first name is Benjamin and year of birth is listed as 1933 ) and VAN SPANHEREN ( William, 1933 ).
Was it difficult for the USA-based CISS/Deaflympics Home Office to double check and verify the accuracy of the questionable surname spellings of these 2 participants from the USA by contacting either the USA Deaf Sports Federation ( USADSF ) or the USA Deaf Basketball organization ( USADB ), was not it?
 
Example Number 4.
The 5th Deaflympic Winter Games. 1963, Are, Sweden.
 
The database has a disputable item, that is, a participant from Norway – Geir Arne OLSEN -  lists his year of  birth such as 1955.
Is it a misprint?
If not, then, by the year of 1963 that athlete would have approximately been aged 8.
Did the CISS/Deaflympics in 1963 allow that 8 year-old minor from Norway to compete against the mighty and much older athletes in the skiing events of the Games?
 
Example Number 5. The 11th Deaflympic Summer Games, 1969, Belgrade, Yugoslavia .
 
The USA sent an impressive 122-member delegation to the Games. According to the database project report, among the participants the name of  Paula Jean Ammons is also listed.
However, what is being omitted is that there is no mentioned date of her birth.
Why?
The fact is that Paula Jean Ammons is an oldest sister of Donalda Ammons, the current illegitimately-elected President of the CISS/Deaflympics and anarchist.
Was not it possible to ask her, a prominent occupant of the CISS/Deaflympics Home office in Frederick, Maryland, USA – on a moment's notice - about her sister's date of birth before releasing the data to the worldwide website audience?
 
Overall, although the database project is not fully completed yet, this Ombudsman has already spotted an aggregate record of over nine hundred eighty five ( 985 ) inconsistencies!
 
Interestingly, everywhere in the database project a disclaimer is mentioned.
 
Does it mean that this project is being handled by an insecure, inexperienced, amateurish, unknowledgeable, untalented and irresponsible team of researchers and historians?
 
How, why and what kind of criteria has the present CISS/Deaflympics Executive Committee utilized in order to select a certain person to be in charge of  this very important and historical database project?
 
Furthermore, does this ongoing project – based on inaccuracy, carelessness, mess and embarrassment – is being done in the best interests of past, present and future of the worldwide deaf sports movement?
 
In retrospect, this is the third known case when in this new, civilized and modern 21st century world the CISS/Deaflympics has been unable to appropriately cope with the major job project in the area of media/website publishing.
 
In 2001, the CISS/Deaflympics published its glossy 196-paged CISS 2001 REVIEW book, in which 202 mistakes were spotted in its book pages
 
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update4.html
 
A year later, in 2002, the CISS/Deaflympics was in charge of releasing an official Games Results book of the 19th Deaflympic Summer Games, in which over 556 errors and inaccuracies were made in the book
 
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update9.html
 
In spite of the two huge fiascos in 2001 and 2002, in which a substantial amount of finances was spent - and thrown away - in publishing the two errors-prepared books, the still anarchically-managed CISS/Deaflympics administration has not apparently yet learned any lesson on how to deal with the media/website job project properly and professionally.
 
In conclusion, it is an eloquent opinion of this Ombudsman that, like the two books in 2001 and 2002, publishing a database in the irresponsible and unprofessional manner via the worldwide website system is disservice and disrespect to our 81 year-old CISS/Deaflympics organization in particular and insult and degradation to our rich and proud deaf sports world heritage in general!
 
Now, after reading this commentary, let's see how  soon the certain corrections will be made and in what manner the ongoing database project will eventually be completed.
 
Let's also see what kind of legacy the self-appointed person in charge of the database project – Mr. Jerald Jordan - will leave to our future generations.
 
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