NEW DELHI: The India Open witnessed yet another unwanted incident on Saturday. A women's doubles affair between top-seeded Chinese pairing of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning and sixth seeds Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of Korea was briefly halted after debris fell from the rooftop of the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.
The incident occurred when the Chinese duo was leading 6-3 in Game 1. The match officials stopped the tie for a few minutes before inspecting what had fallen and cleaning it. The players initially felt that it was bird droppings, but the BWF officials later clarified that the interruption was caused by 'materials from a bird's nest'. Once the contest resumed, the Chinese pair went on to win 21-12, 17-21, 21-14.
This edition of the India Open has been marred by controversies since the opening day. Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt had raised concerns about unhygienic conditions on Day 1 while her countrymate Anders Antonsen had questioned India's ability to host key badminton events in the city due to pollution the very next day. The event had also had an intruder in the form of a monkey inside the stadium, which created quite a storm.
On Thursday, a men’s singles match involving HS Prannoy and Loh was halted twice due to bird droppings on the court
