Indian para-badminton player Krishna Nagar’s personal coach denied visa for Paris Paralympics 2024
Indian para-badminton player Krishna Nagar has revealed that his personal coach was denied a visa by the French embassy for the upcoming Paris Paralympics 2024, which is scheduled to start on August 28.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics gold medalist took to social media to share the news, writing:
“Urgent: My personal coach's visa for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was rejected. Their role is crucial for my success. I’ve requested a reconsideration from the French embassy. Any support or advice is appreciated!”
In the visa refusal document shared by Nagar, the French embassy said that the information that was submitted justifying the coach’s travel to Paris was ‘not reliable’. Nagar tagged both the French embassy in India as well as the French ambassador Thierry Mathou in the post on X.
Krishna Nagar set to defend Tokyo gold medal at Paris Paralympics 2024
Krishna Nagar will look to resolve his coach’s visa problem as soon as possible, as the 25-year-old para-shuttler from Jaipur is one of India's prime medal hopefuls. He had previously won a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in the men’s para-badminton singles SH6 event, and will look to defend his title in this year’s Summer Paralympic Games.
The SH6 category deals with ‘short stature and standing athletes’. Nagar suffers from dwarfism, with a height of about 4 feet 6 inches. Krishna Nagar is one of 13 Indian para-badminton players who will represent the nation at the upcoming Paralympic Games in nine different medal events.
However, the Indian para-badminton contingent recently suffered a big setback as Tokyo 2020 gold medalist shuttler Pramod Bhagat was suspended by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for a period of 18 months for breaching anti-doping regulations, which means that he will miss the Paris Paralympics 2024.
Much like the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024, India is also sending its largest-ever contingent to the Paris 2024 Paralympics, with 84 Indian athletes competing in 25 medal events at the French capital. The Paris Paralympics 2024 will start on August 28 and conclude on September 8.