Sports activist Valery Rukhledev passed away on April 9, 2026, at the age of 78. Introduction Valery Rukhledev was a Russian wrestler and sports administrator who played a central role in international sport for people with hearing impairments. He gained recognition as a six-time gold medalist at the Deaflympics and later as chairman of the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS), the highest international organization in this field. His death marks the end of a life largely devoted to sport and sports organization for the deaf community. Career and Achievements Rukhledev was born on January 18, 1948, in the Rybinsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, in the former Soviet Union. As a wrestler, he belonged to the first generation of Soviet athletes to compete internationally at the Deaflympics, a competition that received far less international attention at the time than the Paralympics. His athletic career was characterized by consistent top performances over an extended period: Participation in the Deaflympics in 1969, 1973, and 1977, each time representing the Soviet Union Six gold medals in wrestling across these three editions, an achievement that underscores his dominance in a technically demanding sport After his active athletic career, Rukhledev turned to sports administration. In 1993, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, he founded the Sports Union for the Deaf in Russia, contributing to the development of a sports infrastructure for the deaf in post-Soviet Russia. This initiative was one of the early steps in the institutionalization of disability sport in the new Russia. His administrative career expanded in the years that followed: Chairman of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf from 2003 to 2018, an organization with tens of thousands of members Member of the Russian Presidential Council for Persons with Disabilities 9th chairman of the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS) from 2013 to 2018, an organization representing more than 100 countries As CISS chairman, Rukhledev was responsible for coordinating international Deaflympics and promoting sports programs for the deaf worldwide. This role placed him at the highest level of global sport for people with hearing impairments. Private Life Little is publicly known about Valery Rukhledev's private life. He was born and raised in the Soviet Union and remained active in Russia throughout his working life. Further personal details have not been publicly confirmed. In May 2018, Rukhledev was arrested on suspicion of forgery and embezzlement of $803,800 from the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. This arrest marked an abrupt end to his leadership of both the CISS and the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. Death Valery Rukhledev passed away on April 9, 2026, at the age of 78. The place of death has not been publicly confirmed. No information has been released regarding the cause of death. Further details about a memorial service or funeral are not currently known. Conclusion With the death of Valery Rukhledev, international sport for people with hearing impairments loses a figure who, both as an athlete and administrator, left a lasting mark on the development of this movement. His six gold medals at the Deaflympics and his role in building sports organizations for the deaf in Russia and internationally form a legacy that is inseparable from the broader history of disability sport in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. On Overleden.net you will find more notable deceased figures from the sports world. This article was prepared with the support of AI tools and verified by the editorial team of Overleden.net.