Top five controversies from Paris 2024 Paralympics

While the Paralympic Games in Paris received a lot of appreciation for putting across the message of enabling and empowering persons with disabilities, it did have its fair share of controversies too.

Paris 2024 Paralympics: Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah had won the gold medal in men’s javelin throw F41 event with a new Paralympic Record but he was later disqualified for unsporting conduct. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

The 17th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games was held in Paris from August 28 to September 8.

While the Games in Paris received a lot of appreciation for putting across the message of enabling and empowering persons with disabilities, it did have its fair share of controversies too.

Here are the top five controversies from Paris 2024 Paralympics:

Navdeep’s medal upgraded to gold in men’s javelin throw F41 after Iran’s Beit Sayah gets disqualified

Navdeep Singh’s silver medal in men’s javelin throw F41 was upgraded after Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah, the gold medallist, was disqualified.

F41 category is for athletes with short stature.

Beit Sayah had won gold with a new Paralympic Record throw of 47.64m while Navdeep finished second with 47.32m but the Iranian was later disqualified due to violation of rule 8.1 of the World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations (Code of Conduct and Ethics).

“World Para Athletics (WPA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and conduct in the sport of Para athletics. All participants in the sport, including athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators, have a responsibility to uphold these standards and ensure that the sport is conducted in a fair, honest, and transparent manner,” says the rule.

Valentina Petrillo becomes first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Games

Italy’s Valentina Petrillo created history after she became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in Paralympics history when she took to the track in Paris.

Petrillo, 50, competed in women’s 400m and 200m events in T12 category for visually impaired athletes, but failed to qualify reach the finals in either.

Italy’s Valentina Petrillo in action during the Women’s 200m T12 semifinal at Paris Paralympics. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Petrillo suffers from Stargardt disease, a genetic retinal condition which leads to progressive loss of vision.

She came out as a woman in 2017.

READ | Full list of world records broken at Paris Paralympics

Many, including renowned author J.K. Rowling and tennis legend Martina Navratilova, questioned her being allowed to participate at the Games in the first place.

“I hope my son is proud of me,” said Petrillo as she began to cry after failing to qualify for the 400m final. “That’s important to me because I’m a trans dad, it’s not everyone’s dream dad. But I hope he will be proud of me,” she added.

Türkiye’s Serkan Yildirim stripped of gold medal in T12 100m

Iranian-born Turkish athlete Serkan Yildirim clinched gold medal in men’s 100m T12 but he was later disqualified.

Yildirim had broken the championship record in 100m and world record in 400m at the Para World Championships in Kobe earlier this year after which the World Para Athletics (WPA) Federation initiated a process to review his classification as concerns were raised about his level of visual impairment. His classification status was changed to ‘Under Review’ and he was informed that he would not be allowed to compete at the Paris Paralympics.

Turkiye’s Serkan Yildirim celebrates after winning the Men’s 100m T12 gold medal at Paris Paralympics. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

However, the Turkish National Paralympic Committee got an interim injunction issues by a single judge in the Bonn regional court one day after the opening ceremony. In order to comply with the court order, WPA allowed him to compete in Paris but later, it successfully appealed the injunction.

As a result, Yildirim was disqualified and USA’s Noah Malone’s silver was upgraded to gold.

Mobile Phone leads to disqualification of Italian rower Giacomo Perini

FILE PHOTO: Italian rower Giacomo Perini. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Italian rower Giacomo Perini finished third in the PR1 men’s single sculls final, the classification for those using only their arms and shoulders to row.

However, he was later disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal after he was found with a mobile phone on his boat.

In the final of the PR1 men’s singles, the Italian athlete was found to be using communications equipment during the race, in violation of rule 28 and Appendix R2, Bye-Law of rule 28,” a World Rowing statement said.

Perini said it was an oversight, that he left his phone in a small bag on the boat which also contained a bottle of water, and disagreed with the wording of the statement, saying he was not in breach of the rule.

Erik Horrie of Australia was promoted from fourth place. Britain’s Benjamin Pritchard won gold and Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi took silver. 

Table Tennis player Will Bayley receives controversial point penalty in gold medal match

Great Britain’s Will Bayley receives a red card, leading to a point penalty, in the men’s singles S7 final against China’s Yan Shuo at Paris Paralympics. | Photo Credit: Paralympic Games/YouTube Screengrab

In a repeat of the Tokyo 2020, Great Britain’s Will Bayley was up against China’s Yan Shuo in the men’s singles S7 final.

Bayley did well to twice come back from a game down, eventually taking the clash to a deciding fifth game. When he was up 3-1, he was penalised a point by umpire Darek Mikita. He was judged to have kicked the ball away while trying to pick it up and hence, received a red card. He had already been issued yellow card in the first game for a foul serve.

Yan took a timeout when Bayley led 9-8 and came back to win the next three points, sealing his victory.

(With inputs from AFP & Reuters)