Sadegh Sayah DQ: Why Was Iranian Athlete's Gold Stripped At Paralympics 2024?

A dramatic development at the Paris Paralympics 2024 saw Iranian javelin thrower Sadegh Beit Sayah disqualified, resulting in India's Navdeep Singh being awarded the gold medal. This marks India's inaugural gold medal in the men's javelin throw F41 category. (As It Happened | More Sports News)

Singh's personal best of 47.32 meters was the Paralympic record until the fifth throw round began. Then came the astonishing throw of Beit Sayah. Just when he seemed to have the gold in his pocket, a shocker -- Beit Sayah was disqualified from the competition for having violated the rules of the Paralympic Committee, thus declaring Navdeep the winner.

As cited, the officials explained that Beit Sayah was shown a yellow card when he displayed a flag in breach of the code of conduct of the Paralympic Committee. Later, according to World Athletics, he was taken out of the competition on grounds of 'unsporting conduct'.

This was a good fortune turnout for India. Singh, who missed the bronze medal in Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, has clinched the gold medal in the French Capital.

Why Was Sadegh Beit Sayah Disqualified?

The disqualification of Sadegh Beit Sayah is attributed to an alleged breach of Rule 8.1 of the International Paralympic Committee's code of conduct. This rule prohibits 'unsporting or improper conduct' during competitions."

Rule 8.1 Of World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations (Code of Conduct and Ethics) States:

"8.1. General - 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."

In that respect, while the incident details remain murky, reports indicate Beit Sayah appeared to be unfurling a black flag, thereby giving reason to believe such an action may be considered improper conduct/unsportsmanlike, an act related to terroristic or uncivil activity.

Neither the officials nor any other persons have given specific information about the exact nature of this action and how it has violated the code of conduct.

Having a flag black flag with objectionable inscriptions could be considered antithetical to an organization which has set strict participation rules for Russian and Belarusian para-athletes.

For the uninitiated, para-athletes from Russia and Belarus -- with their respective NPC suspended as a fallout of the Ukraine war -- are allowed to compete as neutral athletes under the benign white flag, wearing uniforms approved by the IPC (of course, without any national colors). for these neutral athletes, there's no country name, national flag or national emblem.

Showing flags has been a significant issue at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Many athletes are competing under a neutral flag because their countries are associated with war.

Iran are now protesting against the decision and officially appealed, and a final decision is awaited.