Friday 21 September 2018, 13:31

How the deaf and hard of hearing community watched Russia 2018

An estimated global audience of three billion people watched the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, illustrating once again why the competition is often dubbed 'the greatest show on Earth'.

As well as FIFATV on YouTube and FIFA.com providing all the goals and match highlights from an unforgettable tournament in Russia, round-ups of all 64 matches were also produced by FIFA for the deaf and hard of hearing in International Sign Language.

This gave some 70 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing around the globe the opportunity to see all the thrilling action unfold.

Garyfallia Spyrou, one member of the project team said: "Society needs to change the way it thinks. Unfortunately, there are still all too few signed texts and they really need to be pushed as a priority so that deaf people feel catered for and are on a level footing."

Ahead of the first International Day of Sign Languages, which will be celebrated on 23 September 2018 as part of the International Week of the Deaf, you can gain an extraordinary insight into how these highlights were made at the House of Football in Zurich.

From beginning to completion, see how these highlights were produced and tailored to the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community, ensuring the biggest sporting event was accessible to all.