The ban, which was introduced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on August 13, will stay in impact till September 1, 2025.
Bhagat, the reigning Paralympic and world champion within the SL-Three class, expressed his disappointment with the choice, stating that he was assured of defending his title in Paris.
“I did not count on that the choice would go towards me. I used to be defending my Tokyo Olympic gold medal. Since January 2023, I’ve gained quite a lot of titles. My efficiency was actually good, and I used to be positive that I’d defend my medal. However the resolution was heartbreaking for me. My 4 years of coaching grew to become nugatory. I’m 36, and this medal was actually essential to me,” Bhagat instructed ANI.
The CAS Anti-Doping Division discovered Bhagat responsible of breaching the BWF anti-doping laws on three separate events inside a 12-month interval.
Whereas Bhagat acknowledged the failures, he attributed the third occasion to a technical glitch throughout the submission course of, emphasizing that the take a look at itself was not the difficulty.
“I did not suppose that as a consequence of a technical difficulty, the choice would go towards me. The final take a look at was not my mistake. After I submitted it in January, it was profitable. After submission, there was no difficulty as effectively. It was not my mistake. It was a technical fault. For those who put this difficulty on an athlete, then it demoralises that athlete. The authorized workforce is engaged on it, however altering the choice may be very tough as a result of there may be not a lot time left,” he added.
With the Paralympics scheduled to start on August 28, Bhagat and his authorized workforce are exploring choices to overturn the ban. Nonetheless, he stays sceptical about the potential of a well timed decision, drawing parallels to the delays skilled by Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat in an identical case.
