Indian Para Shuttler Pramod Bhagat Faces Heartbreaking 18-Month Ban Ahead of Paris Paralympics

Indian para shuttler Pramod Bhagat, confident in defending his gold at Paris Paralympics 2024, faces an 18-month ban from the Court of Arbitration of Sport. The ban, due to whereabouts failures, means he will miss the event. Bhagat expresses disappointment stating it demoralizes athletes.

Indian para shuttler Pramod Bhagat, who clinched gold in the SL-3 category at the Tokyo Paralympics, has been handed an 18-month ban by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) for repeated whereabouts failures, as confirmed by the Badminton World Federation on August 13. The ban, effective until September 1, 2025, crushes Bhagat's hopes of defending his title at the upcoming Paris Paralympics.

Bhagat expressed his shock and disappointment to ANI, describing the decision as 'heartbreaking'. Having won numerous titles since January 2023, including a prestigious gold at the World Para-Badminton Championships, Bhagat was confident of repeating his success in Paris. 'My performance was really good, and I was sure that I would defend my medal,' he said.

Despite his belief that the final failure was due to a technical glitch, Bhagat faces an uphill battle to overturn the decision with less than two weeks to go before the Paralympics. He highlighted the case of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, whose plea to CAS was delayed multiple times, making his own prospects seem bleak. 'If I don't play in Paris and then the decision comes in my favour, it won't be beneficial for me,' Bhagat lamented.