No monkey business, no pigeon trouble: Delhi badminton venue deploys unique game plan

New Delhi: Pigeons on the court and monkeys in the stands are the last things organisers want when the world’s badminton elite descend on the national capital. With the BWF World Championships returning to India after a 17-year gap, the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi has undergone a Rs.20 crore makeover, along with some rather unusual measures to keep its feathered and four-legged intruders at bay.

The tournament, to be held from August 17 to 23, will feature 64 players each in the men’s and women’s singles and 48 pairs in each of the doubles events. India has secured two direct entries in every category. Former world champion P V Sindhu will lead the 10-member Indian squad, securing a place in the women’s singles draw under BWF qualification rules as the host nation’s representative.

The tournament will also boast plenty of star power, with Shi Yuqi from China among the leading contenders in the men’s singles. South Korea’s Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae will be a team to watch in the men’s doubles, while Li Yu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning from China will be among the women’s doubles pairings to watch out for.

The stadium and courts have been refurbished, but this time organisers are taking no chances with the venue’s more troublesome visitors.

The India Open in Delhi last January was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Pigeons invaded the court while monkeys roamed the stands, which left the organisers red-faced. During the event, a match between H S Prannoy of India and Loh Kean Yew of Singapore had to be stopped twice after pigeons defecated on the court. The fiasco drew sharp criticism from Danish players Mia Blichfeldt and Anders Antonsen, turning the venue’s shortcomings into an international talking point.

This time, the Badminton Association of India, the Sports Authority of India and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports are leaving nothing to chance and have rolled out a string of stringent and rather unusual measures to keep the uninvited guests out.

Castor oil for pigeons, mimicry for monkeys
The first line of defence is at the 16 entrances to the stadium. Wooden doors have been replaced with glass doors fitted with an automatic double entry system to keep monkeys from making their way inside.

The organisers have also brought in a four-member team of mimicry artists trained specifically to tackle the simian menace. Led by Delhi resident Jabbar, the team will imitate langur calls to scare away any monkeys that venture into the venue.

The anti-pigeon strategy is no less unconventional. All air vents have been sealed to keep the birds from getting inside, while the stadium roof will be coated with a special non-toxic gel made from castor oil to discourage them from settling there. Officials say pigeons that attempt to perch on the treated surface will simply slip off.

Six machines imported from the US have also been installed to mimic the calls of birds of prey and scare away pigeons.