"Challenging and emotional time for me as an athlete who has always competed with integrity" - Pramod Bhagat on his suspension

India's para-shuttler Pramod Bhagat, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, has been suspended for 18 months by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for breaching the anti-doping regulations. As a result of this decision, Bhagat, who is a two-time Asian Para Games gold medalist, will miss the chance of defending his title at the Paris Paralympics.

The BWF released a statement regarding the same and has confirmed that Manoj Sarkar and Nitesh Kumar will represent the country at the Paris edition. Sarkar is a former bronze medalist from the Tokyo edition and Kumar is a silver (singles) and gold (doubles event) winner from the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

In the midst of this, Pramod Bhagat has spoken up. He clarified about the suspension through his social media handle, writing:

"I am deeply saddened by the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to suspend me from participating in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. I want to clarify that the suspension is due to three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, especially the last one being a result of a technical glitch rather than any intentional wrongdoing."

The 36-year-old has also expressed how he and his team have appealed this decision but ultimately the efforts went in vain. He said:

"My team and I have been proactive in appealing this decision, citing the technical issues that led to these failures. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we have 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 further wrote:

"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."

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Who is Pramod Bhagat?

Pramod Bhagat is an Indian para-shuttler who won a gold medal in the Tokyo Paralympics. Apart from this, he has also won numerous gold medals in both singles and doubles competitions, which range from the Asian Para Games, the IWAS World Games to the World Championships.

India para-badminton head coach Gaurav Khanna has also expressed that Bhagat was a sure shot medal hopeful at the Paris Paralympics. His expulsion will now be a concern for the Indian contingent at the upcoming Games, which start on August 28, 2024.