The second-round match at the India Open between former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore and home favourite HS Prannoy was stopped twice after bird droppings fell onto the court at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium today.
According to Indian media reports, the first interruption occurred when Prannoy was leading 16–14 in the first game. The same incident happened again in the third game, forcing play to be suspended while officials cleaned the court.
Local media described the incident as extremely rare, and possibly the first of its kind in the history of badminton tournaments, especially at a Super 750-level event.
“I think it was bird droppings that caused the match to stop,” Prannoy told Indian media after the match.
Despite the unusual interruptions, Kean Yew prevailed in a high-intensity contest, winning 18–21, 21–19, 21–14 to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Earlier, Denmark’s world No. 3 Anders Antonsen revealed that severe air pollution in New Delhi was the reason he withdrew from the India Open for the third consecutive year, despite being fined US$5,000 (RM20,237) by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Prior to that, Danish women’s singles player Mia Blichfeldt claimed that the training facilities were unhygienic and potentially harmful to players’ health, citing issues such as dust and bird droppings in the warm-up area at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.
While satisfied with the quality of the main court at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Blichfeldt stressed that environmental conditions remain a concern ahead of the World Championships, which will return to India this August.
However, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) denied the allegations, insisting that the main competition venue is clean and well maintained.
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