A dramatic night at the 2024 Paris Paralympics saw Navdeep Singh win the gold medal in the men's javelin throw F41 - for athletes of a short stature. On the field, Navdeep finished in second place with a best throw of 47.32m, then breaking the Paralympic record, but was bettered by Iranian para-athlete Sajdegh Sayah Beit's throw of 47.64m later.
However, Sayah was later disqualified for 'unsporting or improper conduct', with Iran appealing the decision, only for that appeal to be rejected - thus awarding Navdeep the gold medal.
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Post his 'victory' Sayah unfurled a flag that he later claimed was that of Umm al-Banin, wife of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia Imam. Having already earned a yellow card during the competition for a technical offence, he was then disqualified for this second offence, under rule 8.1 of the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) regulations, which states:
"The IPC Code of Ethics and the World Para Athletics Code of Conduct (both located on the IPC website) shall apply to all participants of World Para Athletics Recognised Competitions. Any breach of these Regulations shall be determined in accordance with the procedures outlined in the World Para Athletics Code of Conduct."
The specific rule in question appears to be a violation of the rule 1.11 of the IPC Code of Ethics, which states:
"Refrain from using the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Movement to promote any political agenda, other than the advancement of sport for persons with an impairment and democracy, empowerment, equality, and the protection of human rights."
Iran's appeal of the disqualification meant that the medal ceremony of the men's javelin F41 event was postponed.
Sayah's appeal centred around his claim that the flag was a religious symbol, and not a political one. However, the current interpretation of IPC rules allows for no other flag than that of the para-athlete's country to be displayed. Sayah also claimed that he had unfurled the flag of Ali ibn Abi Talib at the Tokyo Paralympics, where he won a silver medal, but was not reprimanded. This claim could not be verified. It is also possible that Sayah only earned a single yellow card in Tokyo and thus escaped disqualification.
Ultimately, Iran's appeal was rejected by the IPC, and the medal ceremony of the men's javelin throw F41 event was eventually conducted, with Navdeep awarded the gold medal - one of only 13 Indians to have ever won gold at the Paralympics.