Gold Medalist Pramod Bhagat Suspended For 18 Months; To Miss Paris Paralympics

Star Odisha para shuttler Pramod Bhagat, who is a Tokyo gold medallist, has been suspended for a period of 18 months due to whereabout failure. As a result, Pramod will miss the Paris Paralympic Games, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Tuesday. “On 1st 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,” BWF said in a statement. “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. His period of ineligibility is now in effect,” the statement added. As per reports, Bhagat, an SL3 athlete, appealed this decision to the CAS Appeals Division. Notably, Bhagat won a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in men's singles SL3 category after beating Daniel Bethell of Great Britain in the final.