Rajeev Bagga & Natalia Deeva named as "2007 Deaf Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year"

To encourage the performance of deaf athletes, the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) recently announced the top 10 finalists for the "2007 WIDEX Sportsman and Sportswomen Award". Rajeev Bagga and Natalia Deeva were named by the jury as "Deaf Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year".

According to icCoventry from England and the ICSD, Bagga performed excellently in recent badminton matches, never losing important matches in his international career, which began in 1989. He was known as a good sportsman; always accepting referees' judgments, regardless of their accuracy.

Recently in the 2nd World Deaf Badminton Championships in Germany, Bagga offered to give up his silver medal in men's single class after the tragic news of his former Lithuanian teammate Andirus Jankus' death in a car accident. This touched the hearts of many people, both deaf and able.

Best Sportswoman, Deeva, participated in the "2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships" in Taiwan and broke 3 world records in the same day. Also in this championship, she won 4 gold medals.