Bhubaneswar, Aug 13: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has imposed an 18-month suspension on Pramod Bhagat, India's Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medalist, for violating anti-doping regulations.

Bhagat, who hails from Attabira in Odisha's Bargarh district, will miss the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games due to this suspension.

According to a BWF statement, "On March 1, 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Anti-Doping Division found Bhagat in breach of BWF anti-doping rules due to three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period." The statement further noted, "Bhagat, an SL3 athlete, appealed this decision to the CAS Appeals Division, which on July 29, 2024, upheld the original ruling."

Bhagat had achieved notable success at the Tokyo Paralympics by winning a gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 category, defeating Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in a thrilling final with scores of 14-21, 21-15, 21-15 after a match lasting around an hour and 40 minutes.

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