New Delhi: The sports world body has nominated the reigning world champion Pramod Bhagat, as one of six shuttlers for Male Para Badminton Player of the Year.
Bhagat, who won a historic gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 class at the Tokyo Olympics in September, was also nominated for the newly introduced Para Badminton Pair of the Year alongside Manoj Sarkar, along with five other contenders.
India’s Tokyo Paralympics gold winner who had contracted polio when he was four years old, picked up the sport after watching his neighbours play. Initially, he competed against able-bodied players until transitioning to competitive para badminton in 2006.
Bhagat, 33, is also the current world number one and Asian champion in SL3. Athletes with lower limb limitation participate in the SL3 classification.
Chen Yu Fei, China’s Tokyo Games gold medalist in women’s singles, Carolina Marin of Spain, Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan, and Akane Yamaguchi of Japan were the nominees for Female Player of the Year.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the eligibility period was extended to include the 2020 and 2021 seasons (November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2021).
The winners will be announced in November-December at the Bali Leg of the HSBC BWF World Tour in Indonesia.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) introduced to two new award categories — Pair of the Year and Para Badminton Pair of the Year.
