Past Few Days In India Have Been Tougher; It's Difficult To See How World C'ships Could Be Held Here: Mia Blitchfeldt

Past few days in India have been tougher; it's difficult to see how World C'ships could be held here (Image Source: IANS)

Indira Gandhi Sports Complex: A day after her Round of 16 exit from the BWF India Open badminton tournament, Danish woman shuttler Mia Blitchfeldt once again expressed her disappointment over hygiene conditions at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, stating that before coming to India she had mentally prepared herself for “the worst” and added it is "very difficult to see how a World Championship could be held here."

On the opening day of the tournament, which is being held as a test event ahead of the BWF World Championships in August, Mia criticised the hygiene conditions at the new venue of Indira Gandhi Stadium, calling it "dirty and unhealthy". Before leaving for home on Friday, Blitchfeldt once again criticised the conditions at the tournament on social media by posting a picture of bird droppings on the badminton court.

"The past few days in India have been tough - tougher than I honestly expected. I had mentally prepared myself for “the worst” once again, but the conditions surrounding us are simply unacceptable and highly unprofessional.

"We are here to perform and to stay focused on our preparations, both on and off the court. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, it becomes extremely difficult to focus solely on competing and delivering our best performance," she said.

"Everyone is stressed and frustrated by the conditions we are being met with at a World Tour Super 750 event. At first, you try to laugh it off, but in the end, it is neither funny nor fair to the players or anyone participating in this event," she wrote in an Instagram post.

On Thursday, a match between India’s HS Prannoy and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew was halted twice after bird droppings fell from the ceiling onto Court 1. This incident occurred after a monkey was spotted roaming freely in the stands, not far from the players’ practice area. On Friday, stray dogs were spotted inside the premises. While no biting incident was reported, the presence of an MCD dog-catching van stationed at the venue underlined the seriousness of the situation.

After concerns raised by players and the subsequent media coverage, BWF said that "Managing factors related largely to seasonal conditions, such as the haze and cold weather affecting the air quality and temperature inside the venue, have posed challenges this week. However, our assessments confirm that the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex represents a significant upgrade from KD Jadhav Stadium, offering improved infrastructure.

"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."

The BWF Super 750 tournament serves as a dress rehearsal for the prestigious BWF World Championships 2026. It will be India’s second hosting of the Badminton World Championships since 2009, when it was held at Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.

"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."

"Sadly, under the current circumstances, I find it very difficult to see how a World Championship could be held here. I hope BWF will do more to ensure proper conditions and better protection for the players in the future," she concluded.

Article Source: IANS