Kuala Lumpur
Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist para-shuttler Pramod Bhagat has been suspended for 18 months after being found guilty of violating anti-doping rules. He will no longer be a part of the Paris Paralympics. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) gave this information on Tuesday.
BWF said in a statement, “Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirms that India’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat has been suspended for 18 months. He will not participate in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.” The Court of Arbitration (CAS) found Bhagat guilty of violating BWF anti-doping rules for not providing information about his whereabouts three times within 12 months, BWF said. Bhagat, who competes in the SL3 category, appealed against the decision to CAS, but CAS upheld the decision and confirmed the suspension.
Earlier this year, Bhagat retained his gold medal at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in Thailand. The win not only made him the first para-athlete to win three consecutive gold medals at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships but also equalled Chinese Lin Dan’s record of five titles at the World Championships. He has won gold medals in 2009, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2024. With these three consecutive gold medals, his medal tally has gone up to 14, which includes six gold, three silver and five bronze medals across all categories.
