Pramod Bhagat, gold medallist at Tokyo Paraylmpics, banned for 18 months for doping violation

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India's para shuttler Pramod Bhagat has been banned for 18 months after being found guilty of doping violation. He will now miss the upcoming Paris Paralympics and won't be able to defend his gold medal at the Tokyo Games. This is also a breach of the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) anti-doping regulations and the world body confirmed the development today (August 13).

"Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat has been suspended for a period of 18 months and will miss the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. On 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.

"On 29 July 2024, the CAS Appeals Division dismissed Bhagat’s appeal and confirmed the CAS Anti-Doping Division decision of 1 March 2024. His period of ineligibility is now in effect," BWF said in a statement.

Bhagat's suspension is a huge setback to India's campaign at the Paris Paralympics. The 36-year-old had defended his men’s singles SL3 title earlier this year after defeating Daniel Bethell of England at the Para Badminton World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. The evenly contested final lasted for an hour and 40 minutes and saw Bhagat beat his adversary in a three-game-long thrilling affair 14-21, 21-15, 21-15.

As far as the upcoming Paralympics are concerned, India is set to send a total of 69 athletes across 12 different sporting disciplines to compete in Paris. The Paralympic Games are scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 8.

Pramod Bhagat's illustrious career