Cindy-Lu Bailey OAM
The Deaf Sports Australia Board is delighted to announce our new Patron.
The Board invited Cindy-Lu Bailey to become our Patron noting that she is a person who has not only given outstanding community service, particularly, in sports and deaf sports, but is also seen as a person who commands the respect of the Board, members of Deaf Sports Australia (DSA) and the wider community.
Cindy-Lu has accepted this role.
The DSA Patron has three major roles: (i) an advisor to the Board; (ii) a representative of the organisation at ceremonial events; and, (iii) an ambassador in general.
To share some background on Cindy-Lu, she became one of Australia’s most remarkable swimmers representing Australia at two Commonwealth games, two Pan Pacific Games and competed at 6 Deaflympics games spanning 20 years.
At just age 12 years she won the first of her many medals with a bronze in 1977 at the Deaflympics in Romania. When she was 16, she set new Australian records in winning both the Australian and American national open age championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. In 1983 she held the 200m breaststroke title at the Australian titles.
At the Deaflympics, she dominated winning the 100/200 m breaststroke double at 6 successive games from 1981 till her retirement from international swimming in 1997 and won 19 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals. This includes breaking 18 Deaflympics records. She still holds some of those records today.
It was her success at the Deaflympics that elevated her to be the ‘most decorated woman in Deaflympic history’ by its governing organisation.
In 1985 she was awarded the OAM for her contribution to sport and people with disabilities.
She was given the honour of lighting the cauldron at the 2005 Deaflympic games in Melbourne becoming the first woman to be honoured with such an opportunity in Deaflympic history.
In 2013, she was named as one of Australia’s top 100 sportswomen of all time.
Cindy-Lu was also one of a small pro-active group to assist in establishing NSW Deaf Sports committee to support deaf sports in NSW, where it now receives on-going government funding. She is also a respected leader within the Australian’s Deaf community.
Now working as an Auslan teacher at the Southern Cross University – Coffs Harbour Campus, Cindy-Lu also served until 2017 as the Assistant Technical Director of Swimming for the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), the global governing body of the Deaflympics. She continues to actively support and follow deaf sport, with a special interest in encouraging young deaf children to get involved in sport from an early age.
In 2023, she was Team Manager for the Australian Swim Team competing in the World Swim Championships in Argentina. She is once again Team Manager for the Swim team attending the 2025 Japan Deaflympics.
In 2024, Cindy-Lu was chosen as 2024 Australian Deaf Games Co-Patron where she excelled in her role in helping support and promote the Games.
Cindy-Lu replaces Kevan Gosper AM (deceased), who for many years provided a great ambassador role for DSA including being a key driver of helping get the Deaflympic Games to Melbourne in 20025 including gaining Federal and State government funding.
“Our Australian Deaf Sport Community welcome Cindy-Lu to her new and exciting role as Patron for Deaf Sports Australia. We know she will be a wonderful role model for all and we look forward to working with her to help grow our deaf sports profile nationally and internationally,” says Hannah Britton (DSA President).
You can see the interview with Cindy-Lu in Auslan and more information on our new Patron on our website – www.deafsports.org.au
For more information, please contact DSA – info@deafsports.org.au
Date: 23 September 2025