Azerbaijani Paralympic judo gold medallist faked blindness — report

Azerbaijani Paralympic judo gold medallist faked blindness — report

Azerbaijani judoka Shahana Hajiyeva, who won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics in the visually impaired category, has reportedly failed a medical qualification test for the World Para Judo Championships earlier this month.

The test determined that Hajiyeva has full eyesight, meaning the 24-year-old will now serve a lifetime ban from the para sport.

Azerbaijan’s National Paralympic Committee (NPC) cited a change in regulations for her disqualification.

“At the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Parajudo competitions were held in categories B1, B2 and B3. However, in the run-up to the Paralympic Games in Paris and at the Games themselves, the number of categories was reduced, and competitions were organised in two new categories – J1 and J2. As a result of the changes, many eye diseases previously included in the J2 category were excluded from the list,” said the NPC in a statement.

“Despite the fact that Gadzhieva represented our country in the J2 category until 2024, due to the changes it became clear that she will no longer be able to compete in parajudo,” the NPC added.

Published on May 16, 2025