Shahana Hajiyeva

Shahana Hajiyeva (Azerbaijani: Şəhanə Hacıyeva; born 6 July 2000)^[1] is an Azerbaijani former Paralympic judoka. She won the gold medal in the women's 48 kg event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.^[2] In 2025, she was permanently banned from para judo.

Shahana Hajiyeva

Personal information
Born	(2000-07-06) 6 July 2000 (age 25)
Occupation	Judoka
Sport
Country	Azerbaijan
Sport	Paralympic judo
Achievements and titles
Paralympic Games	(2020)
Medal record Women's judo Representing  Azerbaijan Paralympic Games 2020 Tokyo –48 kg European Para Championships 2023 Rotterdam –48kg J2 European Cadet Championships 2015 Sofia –40 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF	20751
JudoInside.com	95692

Career

Hajiyeva won silver at the 2018 Judo World Championships in Odivelas, Portugal.^[3] At the opening event of the 2019 Grand Prix season in Baku, Azerbaijan, she won gold in the women's -48kg event.^[4] Hajiyeva made her Paralympic debut at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, where she won gold medal in the women's 48 kg event.^[5] In August 2023, she won the European Para Championships in Rotterdam, competing in women's J2.^[6]

Permanent disqualification

In May 2025, in the medical classification for the 2025 International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Judo World Championships to be held in Astana, the IBSA Medical Committee determined that Hajiyeva's level of visual acuity was above the threshold permitted for the J2 class.^[7][8] She was disqualified from the Astana Championships and permanently barred from participating in para judo competitions.^[9] The National Paralympic Committee of Azerbaijan has defended Hajiyeva, citing changes to the classification criteria; other sources have accused Hajiyeva of deliberately misrepresenting her ability and cheating.^[10]