National athlete Serkan Yıldırım's gold medal was taken away.

The Turkish National Paralympic Committee (TMPK) announced that the gold medal of national athlete Serkan Yıldırım, who won at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, has been revoked due to the appeal of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the decision of the higher court.

A new development has emerged regarding para athlete Serkan Yıldırım, the world champion in athletics in the 100 meters and 400 meters, in the ongoing classification problem with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) since June. The athlete had won the gold medal by breaking the championship record in the 100 meters and the world record in the 400 meters at the World Para Athletics Championships held in Kobe, Japan in May 2024. The International Paralympic Committee took the decision of the Turkish Paralympic Committee to the higher court and it was determined that the world champion athlete cannot compete in the 400 meters. In June, the approved classification of the athlete was re-examined with the process initiated by the World Para Athletics Federation (WPA) affiliated with the International Paralympic Committee. With the change of his status to 'under review', it was announced that Serkan Yıldırım will not be able to compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

MEDAL REVOKED

The Turkish National Paralympic Committee won the case it opened against the IPC in a German court, and Serkan Yıldırım managed to become the champion in the 100 meters at the Paris 2024 Games. However, the IPC appealed this decision to a higher court, which ruled that Serkan Yıldırım is 'not eligible to compete'. As a result, the champion athlete was removed from the list of the 400-meter race. In addition, as part of the legal process, the gold medal in the 100 meters was taken away.

"WE WILL FIGHT FOR HIS RIGHTS"

In a statement made by the Turkish National Paralympic Committee, it was stated that "We will continue our legal fight that our athlete has been fighting since June, and we will stand by Serkan Yıldırım to ensure that the successes achieved on the track are not lost in the judiciary. We are using our legal rights to reclaim the gold medal in the 100 meters and we will fight for our athlete's rights to the end."