Paralympic gold medal-winning judoka Shahana Hajiyeva handed life ban for faking blindness, claims report

Shahana Hajiyeva, who had won gold while competing in the 48kg category in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, was found to be faking blindness after failing a medical classification test ahead of the World Para Judo Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan earlier this month.

Nearly three years after making her country proud with a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Azerbaijani judoka Shahana Hajiyeva has been handed a ban for failing a medical classification test which suggested that she was faking blindness to compete in the categories where she found so much success.

Hajiyeva had stood on top of the podium while competing in the 48kg event in the Tokyo 2020 Games and was also a gold medallist at the European Para Championships in 2023 while competing in the 48kg J2 category.

And after missing the Paralympic Games in Paris last year, Hajiyeva was scheduled to compete at the World Para Judo Championships that took place in Astana Kazakhstan earlier this month. The 24-year-old, however, was found to have failed a medical classification test for partially sighted judokas that took place before the event, according to a report on Prosport.az.

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