Para shuttler Pramod Bhagat suspended for 18 months, to miss Paris Paralympics

India suffered a massive blow ahead of the Paris Paralympics 2024, which get underway on August 28. Indian para shuttler Pramod Bhagat, who had won gold medal in the Tokyo Paralympics 2021 in the men’s single SL-3 category has been banned for a period of 18 months.

Pramod has been suspended for failure to adhere to WADA’s whereabout clause, a Badminton World Federation (BWF) release said on Tuesday (August 13). “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,” BWF said in a statement.

“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. His period of ineligibility is now in effect,” the statement added.