Why heat and wind are closely monitored by Badminton World Championships organisers

Delhi's organisers need to strike a delicate balance between the roof gel keeping pigeons away and A/C temperatures that don't push the shuttle off its line.

2 min readNew DelhiAug 15, 2026 11:46 AM IST

The Delhi Badminton World Championships have a tightrope walk over the next nine days, as India try to deliver a global event after a spray of criticism at January's India Open. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

Birds in badminton always meant duck or goose feathers. The avian variety, pigeons, have wanted in on the Badminton World Championships too, and remain a challenge even as organisers try to keep them away from the Indira Gandhi stadium.

The Delhi Badminton World Championships have a tightrope walk ahead of them over the next nine days, as India tries to deliver a global event after a spray of criticism at January’s India Open.

Pigeon droppings on court mid-match had triggered a scandal at that Super 750 event. India swung into action ahead of the World’s, bringing out a capsicum-reinforced gel and applying it to the stadium roof to keep the hazardous birds at bay.

Story continues below this ad

ALSO READ | How periods became a live issue at the Delhi World Championships

There’s a catch, though. The gel needs a certain temperature to hold its form, or it melts and drips onto the seats or the court below.

Delhi was cloudy and pleasant on Friday, and warmer on Saturday morning, with a high of 32 degrees. Keeping the gel stable means keeping the arena cooler, which means running the air conditioning harder. That, in turn, affects the drift on court. Players have reported dead, doldrum conditions on one day and windy ones on the next, as the A/C balances spectator comfort against the gel’s structural needs.

ALSO READ | To prevent bird-poop fiasco at World Championships, officials deploy anti-pigeon gel and more

Story continues below this ad

Bird droppings are no trifle, and had already interrupted matches at the India Open. But drift conditions can alter gameplans just as badly, blurring line calls, which is what has made this particular balancing act so delicate.

The World Championships begin on Monday, August 17, and top foreign players started arriving on Friday, with practice sessions scheduled through the weekend, when the logistics will be tested once more.

Indian efforts to find solutions have been appreciated. The gel-versus-air-conditioning problem, though, isn’t going away.

Shivani Naik

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

Tags:
Badminton World Championship

Loading Recommendations...

Aug 31: Latest News

Live Blog