Legendary Odisha para shuttler Pramod Bhagat has been suspended for 18 months after he was found guilty of breaching the anti-doping regulations of Badminton World Federation (BWF). Due to the suspension he will not be able to defend his title at the Paris Paralympic Games, scheduled to be held from 28 August to 8 September 2024. His suspension is effective till September 1, 2025.

“Indian Para-badminton Tokyo 2020 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 today.

According to the federation, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) Anti-Doping Division on 1 March 2024 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 his appeal and confirmed the CAS Anti-Doping Division decision of 1 March 2024,” a statement from BWF read.

The 36-year-old Bhagat, who hails from Bargarh district, also has a mens doubles gold medal to his name at the global championships from the 2013 campaign. The Bihar-born SL3 shuttler had equalled the legendary Lin Dan of China by winning a fifth World Championships title in February last year at Pattaya, Thailand.

Bhagat, who had contracted polio, resulting in a disability affecting his left leg at the age of five, is also a two-time Asian Games gold-medallist and is the current world No 3 in his category.

Meanwhile, Bhagat claimed that “his third whereabouts failure was a result of a technical glitch rather than any intentional wrongdoing”. The whereabouts clause is a crucial aspect of the anti-doping regulations, the violations of which led to his suspension. It requires athletes to provide detailed information about their locations for out-of-competition testing.

In a post on X, the Odisha para shuttler 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 the three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period and clarified that 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.