A controversy on the penultimate day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. While he had achieved the best performance in the F41 category final (intended for small athletes) on Saturday, Iranian javelin thrower Sadegh Beit Sayah (37 years old) was disqualified.
An unidentified black flag
A silver medalist at the Tokyo Games three years ago, he had just set a new Paralympic record, with a throw of 47.64 metres, when the verdict was handed down at the Stade de France. After receiving a yellow card, he was ultimately disqualified for displaying an unidentified black flag with Arabic writing on it, as reported by L’Equipe. No further details have yet been provided by the International Paralympic Committee and World Para Athletics.
The gold medal went to India’s Navdeep Singh, who threw 47.32 metres. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to throw that far,” he said. “But I was hoping to do well and I had confidence in my coach. I’m happy that it went well. I hope to do even better in the future.”
- RMC Sport