NEW DELHI: As soon as one enters the IG Stadium where the India Open badminton is being held, one cannot miss the pungent heavy smell floating in the air. Though inside the conditions are better, from the stands the light seems to cut through a film of dust. Just to add to the woes of the organisers, a day after Denmark player lambasted the playing conditions, World No 3 men shuttler has come out with another scathing remark. Months ahead of the World Badminton Championships to be held at the same venue in August, this is definitely not the kind of publicity Badminton Association of India would be expecting.
If this was not enough, some of the players had re-posted a video of a monkey inside the stadium after players complained of bird poops and unhygienic conditions inside the stadium.
On Tuesday, Mia Blichfeldt raised concerns more about health than about conditions in the playing arena. Barely 24 hours later, another Danish pro, Anders Antonsen, on his social media account, said he pulled out of the event due to 'extreme pollution'.
In the same post, the World No 3 raised concerns about the city's ability to conduct badminton events including the upcoming World Championships which is scheduled to be held at the same venue later this year.
"Many are curious as to why I have pulled out of the India Open for the third consecutive year. Due to extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment I don't think it's a place to host a badminton tournament," the 2025 French Open winner said. "Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the Summer when the World Championships will take place in Delhi. As a result, BWF once again fined me 5000 USD."
On Wednesday, some of the foreign players have been sporting face masks to counter dust issues. There are other potential red flags too. One of the doubles players from South Korea had shared a picture of a monkey in the stands at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, the practice hall for the event. His picture bore a caption: 'Are animals free admission?' (translated from Korean). The original post was hosted by a Malaysian sports traveller.
However, India's Kidambi Srikanth dismissed criticisms by saying that there is no problem with the conditions. "The conditions are absolutely fine and that he had "to wait an hour in Denmark for my match during the 2016-17 season because the lights went out", said Srikanth, adding every country has its own conditions. BAI has been saying that they are doing their best to have the best conditions. Sports Authority of India maintains IG Stadium.
BAI later said that monkey could have been spotted inside the stadium because of someone leaving a door open inadvertently. BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra said: “BAI and the venue staff have been working at the stadium continuously for the last 20 days, and this is the first time such an incident has been observed. It is unfortunate, and it is possible that a door may have been inadvertently left open. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that doors remain securely closed. The stadium is surrounded by significant greenery, which is a natural part of the environment, and we continue to work closely with the authorities to maintain a safe and controlled playing atmosphere.”