India Open: Danish shuttler Antonsen says Delhi shouldn’t host due to extreme pollution, BWF says review underway to improve conditions for World C’ships

Antonsen’s sharp criticism comes on the back of Blichfeldt calling out the playing and training conditions at the IG Indoor Stadium, where the 2026 edition of India Open is being hosted – at a bigger arena compared to KD Jadhav Indoor stadium inside the same complex, where the tournament had been held in the past few years. The shift in venue was because of India hosting the BWF World Championships later this year in August, and the organisers wanted to use India Open as a trial event at IG Indoor Stadium. Antonsen hoped that situation will be better that time of the year, and also called out BWF for fining him, for pulling out of one of the mandatory events for top-ranked shuttlers.

“Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the Summer when the World Championships will take place in Delhi. As a result BWF once again has fined me 5000 USD,” he wrote. Antonsen also shared a screenshot of air quality in Delhi on the Instagram story, which showed AQI to be 348 and described conditions as hazardous.

Antonsen on Instagram.

The BWF statement said: “We acknowledge the concerns raised by several players and teams regarding venue conditions at the India Open 2026, held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi. The Indira Gandhi Sports Complex represents a significant upgrade from the KD Jadhav Stadium, and a comprehensive review of all tournament facilities and operational processes is currently underway. The findings from this review will guide further improvements as we prepare to host the BWF World Championships 2026 at the same venue in August.”

“Anders Antonsen has participated in the India Open on multiple occasions in the past. His decision to withdraw from the tournament is a matter between the player and the Badminton World Federation,” BAI added in a separate statement.

Blichfeldt, world No 20, is in India to play the event and after her first-round win on Tuesday, told reporters that she wasn’t happy with the health conditions. “I’m happy with the court conditions but not the health conditions. The floors are dirty and there is a lot of dirt on the courts. Also, there are birds flying in the arena, there is bird poop also.”

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This is the second year in a row Blichfeldt has complained about the conditions now at two different indoor stadiums adjacent to each other in New Delhi. After 2025 edition, she had said: “It’s really hard to accept that many weeks of work and preparing, gets wasted because of bad conditions. It’s not fair to anyone that we have to train and play in smog, birds shitting on the courts, and dirt everywhere. These conditions are too unhealthy and unacceptable.”

Blichfeldt had also asked BWF to look into player’s health before the country hosts World Championships in August. “The arena itself is huge and I think it’s really great for major events like this, especially World Championships. But I really hope that it’s going to be better conditions for the players during the Worlds. Everybody is trying their best to make conditions good for the athletes but BWF should look into it as this is a professional sport,” she had said on Tuesday.

In response to Blichfeldt’s comments, BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra had said that the playing arena was fine and the shuttler was referring to training area. “Mia’s comments were made in a broader context around general playing conditions and personal health sensitivities, and not about the playing arena at the India Open specifically. Regarding the warm-up area, it is important to note that she was referring to the KD Jadhav Stadium, which serves as the training venue, and not the main playing arena.”