Bagga didn’t just enjoy badminton, he excelled at it.
In 1989 he competed at his first Deaflympic Games in New Zealand and won two gold medals.
“What an experience! Communication was effortless as we shared language, collectively signing together,” Bagga remembers.
To compete at the Deaf Games, athletes are required to have a hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in the better ear.
There are no Paralympic categories for athletes who have only hearing impairment.
Bagga likens the Deaflympics to a newborn baby looking into a deaf world with the opportunity to access multiple international languages at once.
“It was like opening my eyes for the first time.
“The Deaflympics are designed for people like me – deaf sign language users.”
Bagga adds that his identity is “ingrained in deaf culture” and the Games create “meaningful bonds through a shared language”.
“Hearing badminton events aren’t the same,” he explains. “The lack of language creates isolation. I play, but the lack of communication changes the experience.”
