NEW DELHI: Pollution and lack of hygiene — two most infamous reared their heads during India Open badminton here on Saturday. The elite international badminton (BWF Super 750-level) event came under criticism for ‘bird-dropping’ on courts and ‘dirt’. There have been instances when international cricket matches were affected due to pollution but the concern here is the conditions inside the indoor hall.
Denmark shuttler Mia Blichfeldt, World No 23, termed the conditions at the KD Jadav Stadium to be ‘unhealthy and unacceptable’. She lost 12-21, 21-16, 21-8 against China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the 2nd round and during a post-match interaction revealed about falling sick to BWF.
“Finally home after a long and stressful week in India. It’s been 2 years in a row now that I get sick during the India Open. It’s really hard to accept that many weeks of work and preparing gets wasted because of bad conditions,” Blichfeldt posted on her official Instagram handle. “It’s not fair to anyone that we have to train and play in smog, birds shitting on the courts and dirt everywhere. These conditions are too unhealthy and unacceptable. @bwf...”
The Badminton Association of India said that they are exploring alternate venues for next edition. “As the host and staging authority..., the BAI gains access to the stadium and its infrastructure only four days before the event.” The stadium is maintained by SAI.