Baruch Hagai

Baruch Hagai (ברוך חגאי; born 1944) is an Israeli paralympic champion.

Early life
Hagai was born in Tripoli, Libya, to a Jewish family of 13. At the age of two he contracted polio, and five years later his family made aliyah to Israel. The family settled in Tel Aviv, where Hagai was treated for polio in Israel for the first time. Hagai was trained as a technician, and in the years 1960-2000 he worked as a technician and project manager for a bus-manufacturing factory.

Basketball and table tennis career
He was one of the first to join the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled, in 1960, and was active in wheelchair basketball and in table tennis. Over the years he took part in 224 international basketball games on behalf of the Israeli national team and 66 international games on behalf of the Center. In table tennis he won four consecutive gold medals at the Paralympic Games.

Following his retirement, Hagai joined the Sports Center as head coach.

Awards
In 1986, Hagai was declared as a "Man of Peace" on behalf of the International Olympic Committee.

In 2001, he was awarded with the Israel Prize, for sports, in recognition of his long years of excellence in disabled sports.