Tokyo gold medallist para shuttler Pramod Bhagat will not be able to defend his title at the Paris Paralympics after he was handed an 18-month suspension for breaching BWF’s anti-doping whereabouts clause, leaving the Indian heartbroken.
“The Badminton World Federation can confirm India’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat has been suspended for a period of 18 months and will miss the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” the governing body said in a statement on Tuesday.
“In 1 March 2024, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) Anti-Doping Division found Bhagat in breach of the BWF anti-doping regulations for committing three whereabouts failures within 12 months.” The 36-year-old, an SL3 athlete, said he is saddened by the decision and claimed it was a result of a technical glitch.
“It is an extremely hard decision for me. I respect WADA, I understand they are drawing a line for all players, but to ban someone for technical reasons is not right,” Bhagat told a news agency.
“It is not like there is any substance issue, it is an issue of whereabouts failure, which I missed the test twice as I was in a different place but I have all the proof of filing the third time. But they didn’t accept my appeal.
“It is a big loss for me. I was preparing for Paris, it is such a big thing for every athlete. I would have been a medallist. It is heartbreaking,” Bhagat added. Bhagat had appealed this decision to the CAS Appeals Division but it was rejected last month.