New Delhi: From poor air quality and unclean practice areas to bird poop and monkey sightings inside the arena, the ongoing 2026 India Open is having its fair share of controversy, right here in the national capital.
Given Delhi’s air quality index (AQI), it came as no surprise that visiting badminton players flagged the pollution levels in the city. First, it was Danish men’s singles player Anders Antonsen and then came out Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. Antonsen took to social media to announce that he was pulling out of the BWF India Open Super 750 for the third consecutive year despite being fined $5,000 again.
“I don’t think it’s a place to host a badminton tournament at the moment,” the World No 3 posted on Instagram. “Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the summer when the World Championships take place in Delhi.”
It was followed by Loh’s comment that the poor air quality affected the energy levels of badminton players.
“Yeah, of course. Anyone would. I am surprised you guys are okay. I breathe less. No, I mean I just wear my mask when I can. Other than that, I try to stay indoors as much as possible. But, there’s only that much that I can do,” the former world champion told reporters after winning the match against India’s H.S. Prannoy.
The same match at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium was interrupted twice due to “bird poop” landing in the playing area. “It was bird shit that kind of halted the game,” Prannoy said after the match.
India Open badminton match between Loh Kean Yew and HS Prannoy halted at 16-14 in the first game after bird poop lands on court at Indira Gandhi stadium. Match was halted for the same reason in game 3. 2 days ago BAI had stated that pigeons were only there in practise court. pic.twitter.com/SFlqsEHiRG
— jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) January 15, 2026
What made it damning was that the Badminton Association of India (BAI) had stated that pigeons were there in practice court only. Incidentally, the indoor stadium is set to host the World Championships in August.
This was after Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt criticised the cleanliness at the venue. “I think the floors are dirty. There is a lot of dirt on the courts. There’s bird excrement. There are birds flying around in the arena,” she said after her opening-round match.
As if pigeons were not enough, a monkey was sighted reportedly at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. While it was first flagged by a photographer who shared the photo of the simian inside the stadium on Instagram, Korean men’s doubles player Kang Min Hyuk shared a video of a monkey inside the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall. “Are animals (given) free admission?” he posted on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Michelle Li and Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon had pointed to the cold conditions inside the arena. “I felt kind of cold, it was hard to warm up in there,” Li said. “It’s a lot bigger, I’ve gotten lost a couple of times already. The other venue is obviously smaller and it’s more simple.
“We need something like heaters. When we want to be ready on court, we have to make it very warm, but now it is still very cold for us,” Intanon said.
Initially, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) defended the situation that Blichfeldt’s complaints were her own perspective alone. “Comments were made in a broader context around general playing conditions and personal health sensitivities, and not about the playing arena specifically,” BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra said.
“She has clearly stated that the competition venue itself is well maintained. As mentioned in her conversation regarding the warm-up area, it is important to note that she was referring to the KD Jadhav Stadium, which is the training venue, and not the main playing arena.”
India’s Srikanth Kidambi had come out to say that the playing conditions were fine. “I had to wait an hour in Denmark for my match during the 2016-17 season because the lights went out. Prannoy told me that he played game one on one day and the other game the next day, so such things happen. No country does these things intentionally as everyone wants to give their best at it,” he said, after the comments from Blichfeldt were widely reported.
On Thursday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) stepped in and released a statement saying that it engaged with players and teams to review conditions at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.
“While some areas of implementation, including general cleanliness and hygiene plus animal control have required attention, the BAI has acted promptly to address these concerns. Players have also noted the positive enhancements to the playing surface and flooring, gymnasium, and medical facilities,” it said.
“The move to the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex provides greater space for athletes and officials and meets BWF’s Field of Play requirements for hosting the BWF World Championships. Insights gathered this week will guide further upgrades to deliver a world-class experience in August, where the seasonal issues are not expected being as severe,” the federation added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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