New Delhi: India’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat, who hails from Odisha’s Bargarh district, will miss Paris 2024 Paralympic Games following his 18 months suspension.
He has been found guilty of breaching the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) anti-doping regulations. “Indian Para-badminton Tokyo2020 gold medallist Pramod Bhagat suspended for 18 months for breaching BWF anti-doping regulations with three whereabouts failures within 12 months,” BWF wrote on X on Tuesday.
According to the federation, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) Anti-Doping Division on March 1 found Bhagat in breach of the BWF anti-doping regulations for committing three whereabouts failures within 12 months.
“Bhagat, an SL3 athlete, appealed this decision to the CAS Appeals Division. On 29 July 2024, the CAS Appeals Division dismissed the Bhagat’s appeal and confirmed the CAS Anti-Doping Division decision of 1 March 2024,” a statement from BWF read.
However, Bhagat on Tuesday claimed that “his third whereabouts failure was a result of a technical glitch rather than any intentional wrongdoing”. In a post on X, the para shuttler from Odisha’s Bargarh said that he and his team had appealed this decision, citing the technical issues that led to these failures. “Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we nave not been able to resolve this matter before the upcoming games. We respect WADA, CAS and will abide by it, but this has been a challenging and emotional time for me as an athlete who has always competed with integrity,” he wrote.
He also mentioned about the three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period and clarified that the the last one was caused by a technical glitch, not intentional misconduct. “I want to thank my fans, family, and the Badminton community for their unwavering support. Your belief in me is a source of strength, and I am hopeful that justice will prevail,” he added.
Now, Manoj Sarkar and Nitesh Kumar will represent India in men’s singles SL3 category. Bhagat had earlier defeated Daniel Bethell of Great Britain to clinch a gold in the SL3 category at Tokyo Paralympics.
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held from from August 28 to September 8.
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