Paralympic badminton champion Pramod Bhagat suspended for 18 months due to whereabouts failures

India’s para-badminton player Pramod Bhagat, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics gold medallist, was handed an 18-month ban by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) for whereabouts failures.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed the suspension in a statement released on Tuesday.

Bhagat will remain suspended from all badminton-related activities until September 1, 2025, which means he is set to miss the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

On March 1 this year, the CAS Anti-Doping Division found Bhagat, an SL-3 class men’s singles para-badminton player, in breach of the BWF anti-doping regulations for committing three whereabouts failures within 12 months.

Athletes with impairment in the lower limb compete in the SL3 category.

The Indian badminton player appealed this decision to the CAS Appeals Division but on July 29, his appeal was turned down.

All badminton players part of BWF’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP) must regularly update about their whereabouts through the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) online ADAMS system.

Athletes need to provide details such as their residence, training locations, work engagements, competition schedules and other relevant information. Athletes are accountable if they are unavailable for testing during a 60-minute designated window when a doping control officer comes to test them.

Failure to comply with the anti-doping obligations leads to whereabouts failure. Three whereabouts failures within 12 months lead to a suspension.

Earlier in February, Pramod Bhagat claimed the gold medal at the BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2024 in the men’s singles SL 3 event. He also won bronze medals in the men’s and mixed doubles categories.