Miss-Delectable
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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/207275/1/.html
Badminton is being increasingly enjoyed by the disabled, namely the deaf.
And the sport is likely to be included in the 1st South East Asia Deaf Games, hosted by Singapore in 2008.
A Deaf Badminton Championship was held in the Republic recently, after an absence of more than three decades.
It looks like any ordinary badminton match but for the players, it is a world of silence.
However despite missing out on all the sounds, they are definitely not short on passion.
Visual scoreboards, gestures and eye contact help them stay in the game.
Still the players have devised other ways of overcoming the odds.
Ginny Ong, Deaf Shuttler, said: "Usually before the match we will talk to each other and see how we can compete. For example, I will stand in front my partner, will play at the back that's how we compete."
While the shuttlers have it figured out, what about the referees?
Yoon Kok Thean, Badminton Referee, said: "The game is obviously quite different but we have the student volunteers to help us out and these are the people who know sign language and it makes it easier for us."
The players are now preparing for more competitions.
For now, Sports and Recreation Committee of the Deaf (SRC Deaf) is setting up a team and looking for sponsors.
Loh Eng Meng, Vice President, SRC Deaf, said: "We have five months to prepare for the Malaysia Games for the Deaf in August and another two months to prepare for the Asia Pacific Deaf Badminton Championship in India this year."
Based on the performance of the shuttlers at the championship, the organisers are confident that the local shuttlers are ready for the big stage.
Badminton is being increasingly enjoyed by the disabled, namely the deaf.
And the sport is likely to be included in the 1st South East Asia Deaf Games, hosted by Singapore in 2008.
A Deaf Badminton Championship was held in the Republic recently, after an absence of more than three decades.
It looks like any ordinary badminton match but for the players, it is a world of silence.
However despite missing out on all the sounds, they are definitely not short on passion.
Visual scoreboards, gestures and eye contact help them stay in the game.
Still the players have devised other ways of overcoming the odds.
Ginny Ong, Deaf Shuttler, said: "Usually before the match we will talk to each other and see how we can compete. For example, I will stand in front my partner, will play at the back that's how we compete."
While the shuttlers have it figured out, what about the referees?
Yoon Kok Thean, Badminton Referee, said: "The game is obviously quite different but we have the student volunteers to help us out and these are the people who know sign language and it makes it easier for us."
The players are now preparing for more competitions.
For now, Sports and Recreation Committee of the Deaf (SRC Deaf) is setting up a team and looking for sponsors.
Loh Eng Meng, Vice President, SRC Deaf, said: "We have five months to prepare for the Malaysia Games for the Deaf in August and another two months to prepare for the Asia Pacific Deaf Badminton Championship in India this year."
Based on the performance of the shuttlers at the championship, the organisers are confident that the local shuttlers are ready for the big stage.