An independent body, the Classification Appeals Board (BAC), concluded that the 41-year-old Indian had deliberately misled the classification board for his abilities before last year’s Tokyo Paralympic Games.
The BAC ruled that Kumar would not be allowed to compete in parasailing until August 2023 for such a violation.
“It has been observed that an athlete is able to perform certain movements and functions in a competition that do not correspond to his performance during the physical and technical aspects of the classification,” the World Federation of Parasports stated.
Christian Holz, executive director of the World Federation of Parasporting, emphasized the importance of a classification system to guarantee fair competition. Each Athlete is responsible for providing honest information
Kumar scored the third best result in the Tokyo Paralympic discus throw in the F-52 health class, but was later found to have started in the inadequate health class and his result was annulled.
Thus, the four-time Paralympic Champion Apinis was awarded the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo last summer.
