Azerbaijani Paralympic judoka Shahana Hajiyeva has been handed a lifetime ban from parajudo competition after failing a mandatory medical classification test.
Hajiyeva, 25, secured a gold medal in the women’s 48kg judo event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and later triumphed in the 48kg J2 category at the 2023 European Para Championships. However, she did not compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
According to reports from Prosport.az, Hajiyeva underwent a medical classification assessment ahead of the World Parajudo Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. The evaluation determined that she did not meet the visual impairment criteria required for the J2 category, leading to her disqualification and subsequent lifetime ban from parajudo.
In a related case, fellow Azerbaijani athlete Elnara Nizamli, initially slated to compete in the J1 category for completely blind judokas, was reassigned to the J2 category after tests revealed partial vision.
The Azerbaijan National Paralympic Committee issued a statement explaining that the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) had revised classification standards, consolidating previous categories B1, B2, and B3 into two new categories: J1 and J2. This reclassification excluded certain ophthalmological conditions previously deemed eligible for competition.
The committee stated: “As a result of these changes, many ophthalmological diagnoses were excluded from the list of acceptable diseases for the J2 category. Despite the fact that the winner of Tokyo 2020, Shahana Hajiyeva, represented our country in parajudo in the J2 category until 2024, due to these changes, it became clear that she will no longer be able to compete in parajudo.”
The National Paralympic Committee affirmed its commitment to adapting to the new classification requirements and supporting affected athletes during this transition.
