The currently ongoing India open badminton tournament in the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium has been featuring in the news but in the most negative way possible. The conditions have been called out by a number of overseas players. On Thursday, bird droppings on the court caused the interruption of a match between the India HS Prannoy and in the previous sight of Monkeys in the stands had been reported earlier.
This heightened attention to the current situation was occasioned by the claims by Denmark shuttler, Mia Blichfeldt on poor playing conditions in the venue, in addition to the withdrawal of another Dane, Anders Antonsen, out of the tournament due to the alleged extreme air pollution in New Delhi.
Denmark Mia Blichfeldt again commented on the unacceptable and extremely unprofessional terms at the current India Open state that she could hardly fathom how a world championship could take place here. The past editions of the Super 750 tournament were played there at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.
The last days in India were not so easy – even tougher than I actually supposed. I was psychologically ready to think about what can happen the worst again, yet the circumstances around us are unacceptable and extremely unprofessional, she posted on Instagram.
This is to prepare, be on task, on and off the court. Sadly, in such a situation, it is highly challenging to concentrate on competitiveness and only give our best.
This is causing everyone to stress and be frustrated over the conditions they are being subjected to at a World Tour Super 750 event. You attempt initially to laugh at it but eventually, it is neither amusing nor just to the participants or any one who is in this game. After being criticized by Blichfeldt, subsequent events included the sighting of a monkey in the stands, having the play interrupted because of bird droppings and the players complaining of excessive pollution.
Returning to Blichfeldt, who had gone home after losing out in the second round posted the following at the end of her article: I am glad that this issue has finally caught up on the attention it has been of the world around us, and it is in hope that things will improve as we players are allowed to continue competing in India.
Regrettably, in the present conditions, I cannot easily imagine how a World Championship was to be organized here.
Hopefully, BWF.official will do something to make sure that the conditions and protection of the participants would be in order in the future. Since its commencement since the first day, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Association of India (BAI) have released series of statements anticipating the criticism.
Opinion of Badminton World Body
On Thursday, the BWF provided a comprehensive statement that groups the concerns but explains the action that was taken during the event.
The statement said that the management has had a challenge in controlling the factors that are mostly seasonal like the haze and cold weather, which have impacted air quality and the temperate of the air inside the venue during this week.
Nonetheless, based on our evaluations, it can be affirmed that the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex is an upgrade of KD Jadhav Stadium with a better infrastructure.
Although the implementation in other areas such as general cleanliness and hygiene and animal control have been attended to as well, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has responded in good time towards the issues. The BWF restated that the relocation ratio on the old KD Jadhav Stadium was to achieve the international standards.
According to the statement, the relocation to the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex offers more space to the competitors and officials and fits the requirements of BWF as it will host the BWF World Championships.
The insights that will be acquired this week will be used in additional upgrades that will offer a world-class experience in August when the seasonal problems are likely to be not as serious.
Maintaining a safe and quality environment to all participants, which has always been our priority, is bound to ensure that the expectations of all stakeholders are met. We appreciate the contribution of players and teams and reiterate our vision to keep on improving as partners with BAI.
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