World No 3 opts out of India Open due to pollution; Indian players defend conditions amid hygiene row

World No 3 Anders Antonsen on Wednesday said he withdrew from the ongoing India Open due to extreme air pollution in the national capital and was fined $5,000 by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for his decision.

A four-time World Championships medallist, Antonsen's comments came a day after fellow Dane Mia Blichfeldt criticised the playing conditions at the tournament. "Many are curious why I have pulled out of the India Open for the third consecutive year. Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment, I don't think it's a place to host a badminton tournament," Antonsen wrote on his Instagram page.

The Danish shuttler also shared a screenshot of Delhi's Air Quality Index reading on Instagram, which showed the AQI at 348 and categorised the conditions as hazardous.

The India Open is being held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium after the Badminton Association of India (BAI) shifted the venue from the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium, which had hosted the tournament in recent years.

Earlier, Blichfeldt said that while the courts were satisfactory, the overall environment remained a concern. "I am happy with the court conditions but not with the health conditions," she said on Tuesday.

She added that when she reached the court for practice, there were birds flying around and droppings on the floor. "If anyone gets sick or injured due to these conditions, it's unfair," she said, expressing hope that authorities would look into the matter.

Meanwhile, Indian players came out in defence of the playing conditions at the India Open, with Kidambi Srikanth asserting that he is yet to come across anything 'bad' at the venue and that minor organisational challenges are not specific to one host nation.

"In Singapore, there is a lot of drift. In Malaysia, probably a little less. Earlier in Indonesia, it used to be very compact and fast before renovation. Every country has its own challenge."

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, who lost in the very first round here, also said that the facilities are fine. "See this is the first time we're playing here, I mean, right now I just finished the match. I mean, it is fine. I heard that the World Championships also are going to be held here," she said after her match here on Wednesday.

"So, I think it's a good trial in a way. And overall it's a very big stadium. So I mean the facilities are fine. On court I think when we are playing, I think it's fine," she added.

The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium is also scheduled to host the BWF World Championships in August, making the India Open a designated test event.

"Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the summer when the World Championships take place in Delhi. As a result, BWF has once again fined me USD 5,000," Antonsen said. 

Meanwhile, BAI Secretary General Sanjay Mishra had said that the organisers are doing their best to meet the players' expectations. "It is like a test event for us, to learn for world championship, it's cold in Delhi, yes, so we are providing heaters, players are appreciating, we should not just go by one player's comment, she might have been sensitive," he said on Tuesday after Mia's comments caused a social media storm.