NEW DELHI: Pollution and lack of hygiene — two of the most infamous words crept up during the India Open badminton here on Saturday. The elite international badminton (BWF Super 750-level) tournament in the National Capital came under criticism for 'bird-dropping' on courts and 'dirt' too.
Though there have been issues of pollution in the past during winters, when Delhi is draped in smog, other playing conditions are something that needs to be looked into. There have been instances when international cricket matches were affected due to pollution and there have been occasions when players had to wear masks as protection.
However, the concern is the conditions inside the indoor hall. The stadium is maintained by the Sports Authority of India. Denmark shuttler Mia Blichfeldt, World No 23, termed the conditions at the KD Jadav Indoor Stadium to be 'unhealthy and unacceptable'. She lost a hard-fought match 12-21, 21-16, 21-8 against China's Wang Zhi Yi in the second round on Thursday and during a post-match interaction revealed about falling sick to the BWF media.
"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.official I’m happy that I managed to go on court and win my first round and still play a good match in second round, but I’m far from satisfied."
The Badminton Association of India, in a statement, said that they are exploring alternate venues. "As the host and staging authority for the Yonex Sunrise India Open, the Badminton Association of India gains access to the stadium and its infrastructure only four days before the event, which poses significant logistical challenges. We are already in discussions with the BWF to explore alternative venues and are actively evaluating the infrastructure options."