Jayce
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced that Pramod Bhagat, India’s gold medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, has been suspended for 18 months due to a violation of anti-doping regulations.
In an official statement, the BWF stated: “Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat has been banned for 18 months and will miss the 2024 Paris Paralympics.”
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Bhagat failed to provide his whereabouts information on three occasions within a 12-month period.
The statement further read: “On March 1, 2024, the Anti-Doping Division of CAS found Bhagat in violation of the BWF Anti-Doping Regulations, as he failed to provide his whereabouts information on three occasions within a 12-month period.”
Despite Bhagat’s appeal, the Appeals Division of CAS upheld the original decision, confirming the ban. Bhagat, an SL3 category athlete, will therefore miss the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
On July 29, 2024, the CAS Appeals Division rejected Bhagat’s appeal and confirmed the March 1, 2024, decision of the CAS Anti-Doping Division.
“His suspension is now in effect.”
Earlier this year, Bhagat successfully defended his men’s singles SL3 title at the 2024 Para-Badminton World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, after a hard-fought final against England’s Daniel Bethell.
The match lasted an hour and forty minutes, with the 35-year-old Bhagat overcoming his rival to win 14-21, 21-15, 21-15.
This victory marks Bhagat’s fourth world championship singles title, having previously won the same medal in 2015, 2019, and 2022. He also claimed a men’s doubles gold medal at the 2013 World Championships.
