Breathing after a medical test
Paralympic athlete closed for life
24.05.2025 – 6:38 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Lifelong lock for Shahan Hajiyeva. The visually impaired judo athlete is no longer allowed to take part in competitions.
Four years ago, she was the great heroine of her home country Azerbaijan: Shahan Hajiyeva won the gold medal in judo at the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo. It became a big star. Now there was a setback for the 24-year-old.
During a medical test in the run -up to the Paralympic World Championships in the judo, it was found that their eyesight is not as bad as initially assumed. Participation in the World Cup was denied Hajiyeva and was excluded. Several Azerbaijani media reported that it was even excluded from Para-Judo for life.
There is still no confirmation of the World Association. The National Paralympic Committee of Azerbaijans announced that the classification rules were updated and this had led to new reviews, even in the case of Shahan Hajiyeva.
The athlete said in Azerbaijani media that she had passed the medical tests five times before the Tokyo games. It suffers from an inherited disease that damages its eyesight, but according to the new changes in the classification rules, this is no longer sufficient to continue to participate in competitions. Hajiyeva wants to protest against the judgment.